UA-R-GC-1914-01-01-1941-11-14_Page-020

158 6. OTHER MATTERS: The Alumni Association has not been able to feature as many rallies during the past year as usual owing to the higher cost of both food and transportation, but the annual gathering at Commencement proved highly successful. One of our Alumni offered this year an annual prize for the most worthy student in the courses in Ethics and Religion. Other alumni prizes offered in past years have again been renewed. Gifts from prominent Egyptians have fallen off somewhat, the excuse being given that so many other appeals are in the field. It is worth noting that this is the twenty-first annual Report on the work of the University. The institution is now of age. Were it to close its doors today, we believe the enterprise could be shown to have made so definite and unique an impression on the life and thought of the Egyptian nation, certainly on that of the City of Cairo, as to have justified all the labor and life and sacrifice invested in it. Furthermore, its property investments have so accrued in value that if sold outright in a market (once recovered from the war), these investments would probably yield almost the full amount of money gathered since the institution was first launched. Should not provision be made for writing up the history either of these twenty-one years or of the not distant completion of the quarter century of this enterprise as a monument both of God's favoring and guiding providence and of the financial generosity of men and women of vision in America? Looking back over the year that has passed, a year which has been so freighted with tragic events, one is led instinctively to thank God for his preserving mercy and His sustaining grace. Then one remembers with gratitude the great host of contributors, whose faithfulness has not permitted this institution to cease functioning in these troublous times. Finally, I would express my gratitude to the Trustees and to Mr. Lum and his helpers in Phila-delphia office for unwearied service, endless patience and great resourceful-ness in helping to solve executive and financial problems created for the Uni-versity by the war. CHARLES R. WATSON President. Cairo, Egypt. September 6, 1941