Recreation, Vacations, and Excursions
Social life among the American community in Beirut, particularly the missionaries and faculty of the Syrian Protestant College, was pleasant yet genteel, characterized by a blend of sociability, culture, and restraint. Their gatherings often reflected both their New England upbringing and their adaptation to life in Lebanon. Afternoon tea calls provided opportunities for conversation and news, while Sunday dinners brought families and colleagues together around long tables for shared meals that strengthened the sense of community. Evenings were filled with games, piano recitals, and literary readings, occasionally enlivened by masquerade parties where guests appeared in tuxedos and elegant gowns—moments of levity amid the rigor of academic and missionary life.
Recreation also had its place in their routines. The Mediterranean itself was central to their leisure: a short walk from campus led to the “staff cove,” a secluded rocky inlet that served as a natural swimming pool, where faculty and their families swam and picnicked through much of the year. On campus, football (soccer) was the dominant sport, enthusiastically played by students and occasionally joined by professors, while holidays such as Thanksgiving were marked by communal dinners and friendly athletic competitions, including the much-anticipated track meet.
In springtime, the American community often enjoyed picnics in the hills surrounding Beirut, taking advantage of the mild weather and blooming landscape. But when the summer heat and humidity set in, the entire missionary circle followed a familiar seasonal rhythm: families packed their belongings and moved to the cooler mountain villages overlooking the city—typically within a few hours’ journey—where the air was cool and the scenery restorative. Because missionaries were expected to remain close to their stations, they could not travel far; their retreats were therefore limited to the Lebanese highlands. Popular destinations included ‘Ainab, Abeih, Sūq al-Gharb, Brummana, Beit Eddine and Shimlan, villages that together formed a network of missionary summer colonies. There, amid pine groves and terraced hillsides, they continued a quieter version of their Beirut life: mornings of reading and correspondence, afternoons of walks or visits, and evenings of social gatherings among neighboring families. For many, these summers in the mountains were a time of renewal—physically refreshing and spiritually restorative—before returning to their academic and missionary duties in the autumn.
Known for his energy, curiosity, and love of the outdoors, Daniel Bliss balanced his missionary and educational duties with a deep appreciation for exploration and physical activity.
Bliss Beyond the Campus
Beyond his role as educator and missionary, Daniel Bliss was an avid explorer who documented his experiences throughout Syria. In 1873, he joined one of the earliest recorded expeditions to the Jeita caves with engineers W. J. Maxwell, H. G. Huxley, and Dr. R. W. Brigstocke. Using a makeshift raft of planks and inflated goat skins, they navigated the underground river by torchlight, marveling at the glimmering stalactites and cathedral-like formations deep within the cave.
A week later, equipped with a sturdier raft and petroleum lamps, they ventured even farther beyond the “Screen,” revealing more of the cave’s hidden beauty. Bliss’s vivid account reflects both the scientific curiosity and the spirit of wonder that defined the American community in nineteenth-century Beirut.
Bliss on Horseback
For more than half a century, Bliss found his favorite form of exercise and pleasure in horseback riding. What began as a means of travel to visit mission schools soon became a lifelong passion. He rode across Lebanon’s diverse terrain—through rocky riverbeds and steep mountain paths—embracing the challenge and freedom the rides offered. In the early years, when Syria had no carriage roads, horseback travel was essential; even later, Bliss preferred the open countryside to the monotony of trains or roads. For him, true vitality lay in the rhythmic gallop of a horse over Lebanon’s rugged landscape.