THE DANGER OF UNCONTROLLED ZIONISM. [To THE EDITOR OF THE
" SPECTATOR.") SIR,—With reference to the correspondence which took place in your columns a few months ago concerning the alleged "danger of uncontrolled Zionism," I have just received from a soldier (who is unknown to me) the enclosed letter, which I hope you will kindly publish in your paper. The letter is a spontaneous one, and therefore a more valuable vindication of all I said about the Jewish colonies in my letter published by you on April 15th last. The name " Malebbis " used by my correspondent is the Arab name for the Jewish colony of Petach-Tikvah.—I am, Sir, &c., Crossways, Guildford Road, Woking, Surrey. S. TOLROWSKY.
"Palestine, July 24th, 1918.
Mr. TOLHOWSHY.
Sia,—I hope ` Soldier ' replied as requested by you in the Spec- tator of April 13th and gave you the information required. I read the remarks occasioned by his description in this periodical (I picked -np the page in question in the hills; a camel was making the rest of it his midday meal). If 'Soldier' did not enlighten you on the subject, I can tell you I have been in a few of these colonies in question, and sometimes in the wet season was billeted in them, and very comfortable they were after not having seen a real house for a couple of years Mulebbis is about the best colony, and I can safely say I never saw as much as one text hanging up; in fact, nothing could be seen concerning their religion except sometimes a Hebrew inscription over the door. On the other hand, at Wilhelma, near by, a typical German colony, every house was packed full of German texts and tracts hanging up. In fact, in the room I lived in for two months there were four pictures and fourteen tracts. I got quite interested in translating them into English (not a very hard job). Samna is another German colony, and the village schoolroom there was flooded with tracts of every sort. Of course I don't know what the argument is and what ` Soldier ' said, but now you know from one who has trekked and trekked (sometimes not to his liking) up and down that locality. We are not there now, but often I think of those places and wish I were there again.—Yours, &c., GILBERT W. PHILLIMORE, Sergt. Signals."
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