In Syria

M. Henry de Jouvenel, the French High Commissioner to Syria, discharges, when at Paris, the routine if important duties of Senator and acts as editor-in-chief of Le Matin. Now, however, he has been installed at Beirut (TIME, Dec. 14) to act as pacifier extraordinary and conciliator plenipotentiary to the rebellious and half-nomadic peoples whose sporadic attacks make it so difficult and expensive for France to administer Syria as a League of Nations mandate. Last week M. de Jouvenel announced that he had received overtures of peace from Sultan Atrash, the warrior chief of the extremely turbulent Jebel Druses. The French peace terms were promptly announced:

1) The Druses to cease hostilities at once and participate with the French authorities in drawing up a constitution for the Druse state (now a loose federation of tribes held together chiefly by the bond of their ancient and peculiar Druse religion).

2) A Druse Mejliss (Parliament) to be convened for the purpose of adopting the constitution and deciding whether the Jebel Druse territory (literally the Mountain of the Druses) is to be constituted as an independent nation or attached to the Syrian Federation of which Damascus is the capital.

3) France agrees to assist in the establishment of either of these alternative regimes at the discretion of the Druse Mejliss when it shall be formed. Further, "All that France asks of the Druses, Syrians, Libanians and Alaouites is to guarantee together a common exterior frontier, and for internal disputes to avoid fighting and seek the arbitration of France, whose aims are prosperity, peace and justice. The Druse chiefs now have only to lay down their arms."

Meagre French-censored despatches carried no mention of the reaction produced upon the Druses by these terms. The Druses have long feared and hated the French, and were especially bitter against M. de Jouvenel's predecessor, the ruthless General Sarrail.