Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1891-01-17
THREE I'm AMERICA.
A RICHMOND SYRIAN DESCRIBES HIS
COUNTRY AND IT'S PEOPLE.
He Tells of Wonderful Fruits and Grains
Which Would Help the United
States to Become Great.

terday from gentleman in New York to
Judge Flournoy, Secretary of the Common
wealth. expressing desire TO locate
colony of Syrians in this State, attracted
considerable attention, as little or nothing
Of these people is known in this country.
Wishing to learn something OF the coun-
tsy and its people, Dispatch reporter yes
terday called on Mr.. A. l.. Wexler, OF l445
east Main street. the only Syrian in Rich
mond and, according to his statement. one
of the three in America, the others bein6
one each in Philadelphia and New York.
ONE OF THE THREE.
Mr.. Wexler is a native of Damascus and
came TO America in 1876. He speaks Eng-
lish very plainly and is master, also. OF six
other languages.
In reply to a question il the Syrians
could stand this climate he remarked that
it depended upon whether the emigrants
were city or country people. The latter,
he explained. wear only single cotton
garment which reaches TO their heels, and
cannot stand a change. The inhabitants
heavy clothes and would soon become &C
customed TO this climate. Syria is divided
into three pats, two orwhichare cold and
one warm.
IMMENSE GRAPES.
The Syrians as q whole, said Mr.. Wexler,
are temperate and economical people,
although they drink great deal OF native
VINE, which is very plentiful, the grapes
out of which it is made being as long as
mans finger, and twice as thick, with asKln
no thicker than piece OF thin paper.
II was probable that the proposed emil
grants were city people, as they were the
opad urh t,pocao,1fa1 the GilE industry.
Agriculture is the forte of the Syrians,
and they get 81 900 out of On acre OF land
whero Virginia tobacco-grower gets 50
or $40.
The wheat they raise is in grains as large
as the end Of persons thumb, and the oats
as big in proportion. Two quarts of these
latter make big feed for horse,
The people, Mr.. Wexler said. speak
Arabic mainly, though some few OF them
use the Turkish dialect.
THEY ALL AGREE.
Mr.. Wexler said that Damascus, where
he lived, had population OF about 250,-
900. There were about $4,000 each, Chris
tians and Jews. the remainder being Mo-
hammedans. And" he continued with
smile, " they get along with each other a
great deal better than the different races
do here"
The city people live in nice style, the
countrymen more plainly.
He did not think the proposed colonists
would experience much difficulty in be-
coming used TO the climate of Virginia,
though when he himself spent his first
winter in Philadelphia he suffered 80 from
the cold that he could hardly straighten
his fingers.
His countrymen were industrious people
and good mechanics, and If 1t was decided
to locate a colony in this State Mr.. Wexler
said be thought he would join them and
go to farming, as there was a great deal
moro money in agriculture as practlced by
his people than there is in keeping store.
The Government of Syria is a liberal one
and the people as rule prosperous. 1t
was for this reason that so few OF them
came TO America.
MIR. Wexler has very little opinion of
American fruit and says he has not tasted
any that began to compare with the
Syrian except some fine oranges grown in
California.
If the Syrians spoken of in the Dispatch
Yesterday would come to Virginia aud
bring enough of their native products
with them to use as seed he ia sure they
could help to make this great country.
Colonel whitehsad's Opinion.
Colonel Thomas Whitehead, the State
Commissioner of Agriculture, was also seen
by the Dispatch man in reference to this
samo matter. The letter in question had
been referred TO him, and he had gwen it
to a man who had 10000 acres of land in
Hanover which IL was thought might an
swer the purpose.
climate of Virginia is hardly fit for the
fruit-raising except the grapes, but thinks
it admirably adapted to silk-culture. The
white mulberry, the food of the worm,
grows wild across nearly the entire State,
having originally been imported from
Italy.
A DRAWBACK.
There is. explained the Commissioner.
one serious obstacle in the way Of keeping
emigrants in Virginia. When they are
taken out West and dropped on prairie
they are bourd to build houses and go to
farming through self-protection, and be-
fore they know il they have farms OF their
own. But here it is different. If man
gets lonely he jumps on train and IN a
few hours is in one of the large cities. The
importation of Syrians was something so
entirely new that he hardly cared to say
much, 1t really being in the nature OF an
experiment.
Fox-PARMs.
Changing the subject little the Com
missioner stated that ever since q few days
ago. when he mentioned that some New
York young men had made inquiries as to
where they could get a good farm on which
they could breed horses and hunt foxes.
his life had been made burden to him by
parties having farms to sell. Letters had
come in by the score, and any number had
called to see him in person, among them
many ladies', some of whom brought their
daughters along with them to do the tall
ing, and who did not give him chance to
get in a word edgeways.
TO cop the climax" concluded. the
Commissioner with q smile, lone OF my
own neighbors has confidently informed
me that my own farm is suited for the pur-
pose, as every afternoon regularly three
foxes come up the road and take seats near
the fence"