confirms the statements of Suleiman Effendi, whose tract, revealing the
secrets of the Nusairîyeh faith, was printed years ago at the Mission
Press in Beirût, and translated by that ripe Arabic Scholar Prof. E.
Salisbury of New Haven. The bloody Nusairîyeh never forgave Suleiman for
revealing their mysteries; and having invited him to a feast in a
village near Adana, 1871, brutally buried him alive in a dunghill!

For the historical statements of this volume, I am indebted to the files
of the Missionary Herald, the Annual Reports of the Syria Mission, the
archives of the mission in Beirût, the memoir of Mrs. Sarah L. Smith,
and private letters from Mrs. Whiting, Mrs. De Forest, and various
missionary and native friends.

Information on the general work of the Syrian Mission may be found in
Dr. Anderson's "Missions to the Oriental churches," Rev. Isaac Bird's
"Bible Work in Bible Lands," and the pamphlet sketches of Rev. T. Laurie
and Rev. James S. Dennis.

The specimens of poetry from ancient Arabic poetesses, have been
gathered from printed and manuscript volumes, and from the lips of the
people.

Some accounts of child life in Syria and specimens of Oriental stories
and nursery rhymes have been gathered into a "Children's Chapter." They
have a value higher than that which is given by mere entertainment as
they exhibit many phases of Arab home life. The illustrations of the
volume consist of drawings from photographs by Bergheim of Jerusalem and
Bonfils of Beirût.

The pages of Arabic were electrotyped in Beirût by Mr. Samuel Hallock,