Inauguration

A polyglot crowd assembled in the capital city of Israel. It gathered in all the streets and swelled about the railway station. Officials and local notables made their way through the assemblage to vantage points in front of the station. They waited. A train came puffing up and halted. Still they waited, brew speculations, Armenian expostulations, Arabic imprecations rose into the air. Suddenly there was silence.

A bearded potentate advanced.

"Mayor Nashashibi," whispered the crowd.

The Mayor advanced a little way, accompanied by a rather neat looking Englishman and an Englishwoman. The Mayor held up his hand.

"I introduce to you," he called out, "the Right Honorable Herbert Charles Onslow, Lord Plumer, and Lady Plumer, the new British High Commissioner of Palestine. In the name of all Palestine, Sir and Madam, I extend to you the joyful welcome of .the ancient city of Jerusalem."

He paused in his fluent Arabic, while several interpreters Babelized his speech into English, Hebrew and other tongues.

Then it was Lord Plumer's turn. He spoke and was Babelized.

That same afternoon the new High Commissioner took his oath of office swearing to enforce the Constitution of Palestine.