A History of Time in Mount Lebanon, 1860-1914

Abstract

In a 1914 speech commemorating the opening of a reading room in Dayr 'Ataiyé-Qalamoun, Mr. As'ad Effendi emphasized that time was of essence in the advancement of peoples and the making of civilizations. To illustrate his point he presented, on one hand, the "Western man" who is so conscious of the "value" of time and the need to accomplish things that he would never" dream of wasting time". On the other hand, he juxtaposed the "Eastern man" who meanders along the paths of life dawdling wondering "how to kill time". The approach that each of these two archetypes took towards time - Mr. Effendi argued - explained why the West was advancing while the East was stagnating. In concluding, he exhorted his "Eastern" audience to shun idleness and make use of their time to advance themselves and their society.