From Beirut to Salé, April 9, 1931
To my most dear and devoted brother, Abderrahman
What shall I write about today in this letter? Nothing new from Beirut or rather nothing new under the sun as some might say. We are doing marvelously well as you would hope and we wish the same for you.
Our distinguished professor Mustafa Alayni has introduced a series of lectures on the art of oration given once a week with collaboration of three chairs of the scientific curricula. Students learn how to master a polished and smooth style of speech. The professor corrects the linguistic and grammatical errors as the course progresses and he designates for each orator another member of the student body to challenge and critique his speech. And that is how we spend one of the most pleasant hours of lecture during the week. The speeches are conducted in an improvised manner without recourse to written text. Yesterday our brother Abdelmajid delivered a talk on the economic life of nations. He was contradicted and critiqued by our brother Abdelkrim. Both the orator and his challenger excelled in their presentations. Our professor has appointed me as the speaker for next week. I intend to address the strengths and weaknesses of the Middle Eastern system of education. As for our friend, Abdelhadi Zniber, he is doing well and sends you his cordial greetings. He is preparing for the examination to obtain the Teaching Certificate of Primary Education in French and appears to be very serious in his studies.
Last week we informed you about the subsidies received. However we must bring to your attention the need to send us sufficient funds in advance to cover our fixed expenses as soon as convenient. It has not escaped your attention that we have been faced with unexpected expenses. Moreover, the institution's administration is asking all late payers, and they are few in number, to pay their overdue fees before the school closing for summer vacations. So we ask you to send us the balance of what is due for the scholastic year so as to allow us to properly conduct and pursue normally our studies without worrying about financing matters. We ask you to explain all this to our beloved father who we request to keep us in his good grace and to pass on to him our that we keep him in our thoughts as well as our love and devotion.
You brother, Said Hajji
Abderrahman Hajji, eldest brother of Saïd Hajji - 1954.
The Hajji brothers standing from left to right: Said, Abdelmajid and foremost on the right, Abdelkrim along with a number of their fellow students and one of their professors. Damascus, 1932.
The Hajji brothers in a public park in Beirut. From right to left: Saïd, Abdelmajid and Abdelkrim - 1932
Standing from left to right: Abdelkrim Hajji, Abdelhadi Zniber, Abdelmajid Hajji. Sitting: Saïd Hajji. Photo taken in Damascus in 1934.
