The western sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1887-1926, 1893-02-16
SYRIAlIS In THE TWIN CITY
A. DaYG and Ills Brothers, His Cousins
and KinSfOlk Generally.
SOME HARD WORKING FOREIGNERS

NUMl uhnU WUnAlNu lUnHluNuilu
Eight Mount Lebanon Syrians Who,
Fleeing From Mohammedan Per-
secutions in Their Native Country,
Have Settled in the Land of the
Frse"-Former Residents of TripoIi.
Winston has eight native Syrians
among her enterprising citizens.
1t is rather surprising that there
seems to be good deal Of ignorance
prevailing in town regarding the ma
tionality of the dark-skinned foreign
ers who keep the stores on North
Liberty street. Some WinstOnians
are under the impression that they
are Turks, while others still miss the
mark by calling them Italians.
These Syrians are A. Daye, his two
brothers Alexander and Charlie Daye
his two cousins, Salem Daye and
Sophiere; Mitchell Day, the father of
the Daye brothers: Roda, the wife of
A Daye, and NOhoom Morsha, who
runs the little grocery on Fourth
street. All but the last are partners
in the firm of A. Daye & Co., whose
pldCcS OF DuSlueSS are On LlUcIGy
street near the postoffice.
A. Daye has been here longer than
any Of the rest of his kinsfolk. He
told a SENTINEL reporter that he ped
died all over the United States after
landing in New York in 1888.
On one Of his trips he stopped over
in the promising town of Winston
Salem. He was so pleased with it
that he thought he would like to live
here and do business. Accordingly in
1890 he established a little fruit stand
where his present little brick store is.
He could not speak word of Eng
lish when he first settled down, but
he went TO work with the energy that
is Characteristic Of him and soon mus
tered it sufficiently to be able to carry
on a mercantile conversation, so to
speak. That is, he learned enough to
understand and be understood across
his own counter. He still kept up his
studies and now can speak quite flu
emily. He mastered the language by
practice alone and without the aid of
a teacher.
His business succeeded and he soon
had laid up enough to send for his
kinsfolk in his native land. AlcXan-
der and Charles and Salem Daye came
together over the water twenty
monthsuago. His father and wife ten
months ago. His mother has been
dead for twenty years.
These Syrian citizens of Winston
lived in their native country in "Trip
porter, ''of 40, 900 inhabitants, the sea
port town of Syria, 141 miles from
Damascus, sthe capital. 1t is sonly
two miles from Mt. Lebanon, where
grow the famous cedarS.-
RELIGIOUS PROSECUTIONS,
"Why did you leave and come to
America ?" was asked.
Because of religious prosecutions,
was the answer. Only it was not
said in those words.
"You know Mohammedans cuss
Christians" said A.<Daye, who is al
ways the leader and spokesman of the
family. ''They treated US bad and so
we came to America"
"In what way were you prosecuted
Were you ever tortured or imprison-
ed ?"
"No, no. You see it was like this.
If you were Mohammedan and me
Christian anda we went before the
Mayor to have difficulty settled, he
always was in favor of the Mohamme-
dan. See ?"
The reporter gathered from this
and other conversations with the Sy-
rians that while their persecution
was rather of petty order they
were both frequent and exceedingly
annoying. Justness and fairness
they never received and hence they
decided to come to the land of the
free, where they worship and live ac-
cording to their custom and belief
and the traditions of their fathers.
Abdue Hammed was Sultan and
Joodet Pasha, Grand Vizier of Turkey
when they took their departure. OF
course it is. unnecessary to say that
Syria is tributary to Turkey.
'You say you are Christians. What
is your religious belief ?" asked the
reporter.
1--WE are Catholics" was the an
swer. "AIl Mt. Lebanon Syrians are
Catholics, except a very few 'Chas-
neatecs' tadherants of tue Greek
church.) We are members of the
Catholic church in Winston"
THEIR OCCUPATIONS.
In Tripoli A. Daye was in the COM
mission business, Alexander and
| Salem Daye were tailors, and even
| now occasionally cmake suit OF
| clothes for Tailor Buckley, when he is
pushed, or rather they have been do
ing this up. to the time that Mr.
/ Buckley decided to leave Winston
4
| carpenter.
.sYou have been very successful
| here ?" asked the reporter.
1--WE make living and are salts
f1ed," was the reply.
Mr. A. Daye is looking forward ex
/ pectantly to the day, nine months
distant, when he will take out hi.
naturalization papers and become al
| American citizen. He and all hi
n &c l,o xye
They expect to live here the rest o
their days
He says further that there are ,00
Syrians now in New York City most
ly living on Washington street. The.
publish a paper, ssKaw Kab America,
or the ssStar of America, y on 45 Pear
street. There are 5000 SyrIans il
Chicago and between 5000 and 600
in California. In North and Soutl
America together there are 150, 100
Mt. Lebanon Syrians.