UA-R-GC-1914-01-01-1930-11-14_Page-009

230 APPENDIX A REPORT of DR. CHARLES R. WATSON, PRESIDENT to the TRUSTEES OF THE AMERICAN UNIVERSITY AT CAIRO For the Year 1929 - 1930 The year 1929-1930 has been on the whole a year of marked and wholesome progress in the life of the American University at Cairo, as will be seen when the activities of the year are reviewed in detail. On the horizon has been the inspiriting program of a campaign for endowment which would lay a foundation of security for the future of the University in so far as it has been developed and would prepare the way also for the realization of other long awaited units of the University program. The year has also been, in general, one of unity and harmony in the institution's internal life, though one of storm and stress in its external relations. If I may judge the spiritual life of the institution by the warm hearted atmosphere of the staff prayer meetings during the period that I was in Egypt, I should set the year down as above the average, although this is not meant to bespeak any spirit of self satisfaction nor to indicate that there is not much to be both added and eliminated if the institution is to realize its highest ideals as a driving moral force and Christian agency in a non-Christian world. The storm of Moslem criticism in the press and the judicial steps taken by the Government in bringing Dr. Fakhry, one of the University's Extension lecturers, to trial, have already been reported to the Tru>tees. While Fakhry was acquitted at his first trial, the Public Prosecutor has appealed the case and a further trial is scheduled for Novei fiber. The total effect of the agitation is hard to appraise. It laid an enormous burden upon the Extension administrationn in interviewing, explaining, placating, defending, while it also placed a strain upon all of the institution's relations with the public, particularly the Moslem public. A disturber of the peace is rarely popular even if the cause is so just a cause as that of liberty of speech and the objective so worthy an objective as the emancipation of womanhood. On the other hand, there is no doubt that the agitation has registered the institution in many quarters as an agency of progress and has given it a wide spread reputation for fearless utterance on questions of public interest. The political situation in Egypt at the present moment can only be described as one of unstable equilibrium. Since my last Report, extended negotiations have taken place in political circles looking toward the drawing up of a'Treaty between Egypt and Great Britain, which would lead to the with-drawal of British forces from Egypt and the conferring of complete' independ-ence upon Egypt. These negotiations failed owing to Egypt's insistence upon a recognition of Egypt's sovereign in the Sudan. Following the failure of these negotiations, the Egyptian Ministry fell. In July, 1930, Nahas Pasha, head of the VJafd (Nationalist) Party and Prime Minister, tendered his resignation owing to a disagreement between him and the King. Since no other Wafdist could or would undertake to forni a Ministry, since the Chief of this Party had by his resignation determined the ' afd attitude, the King turned t