Daily camera., 1897-04-24
GREEKS In AMERICA.
There Are at Present $4,000 in
the United States.
increasing in Number Very Rapidly
They and the Italians Do
Not Get Along Well To-
gcther.

SSthSA'
By the federal census of 1890 there
were only 1887 natives of Greece in the
United States There were fewer
Greeks than men of any other nation
alitv of which computation was made,
fewer even than Turks or Sandwich
islanders. Of the Greeks returned by
the federal census, Alb were in New
York. 259 in California, 254 in Illinois,
145 in Texas - insignificant figures
when compared with the fact that IN
California alone there were by the same
census 1859 natives of Portugal, and
there were in one state, Iowa, 953 ma
tives of the little Duchy of LuXem-
burg. Under these circumstances the
proposed enlistment of $50 Greeks in
Chicago to aid their compatriots on the
Mediterranean in the warfare in Crete
Chicago which had by the last census
only 254 Greek residents, men, women
and childrenD Dmight appear to be, to
say the least, a somewhat surprising
evidence of fervent patriotism, to be ex-
planned, perhaps, by the tendency to
verbal exaggeration found by some dis
interested and unsympathetic tourist
to be general in the countries OF the
orient. In Pittsburgh, too, where six
and half years ago there were only IL
Greeks of both sexes and of all ages,
there were $50 Greek volunteers for
Crete.
The explanation or this is as follows:
There are now not 1900 Greeks in the
United States, but $4,000. They have
increased il, NUMBERS by immigration
1000 per cent. in less than seven years,
and there are now 1880 in New York
city alone, $500 in Chicago, 1000 in Bos-
ton, and so on. Greece is territorially
lust two-thirds the size of Scotland.
The population of the c-'sT2t-T is about
the same as the present population OF
the city of New York, 100000. The
Greeks are farmers, fishermen and
fruit-raisers, and material prosperity
is not pervasiye in the little kingdom OF
King George. The Greeks are not, ac-
cording to the American standard, in
telligent and progressive hushandmen
OF fruit-raisers. They have few local
manufactures. The debt of the coun-
trv is heavy, it's credit fair, and its re-
sources not abundant or increasing,
With the increase in the American fruit
business the enormous development OF
the fruit products of California and
Florida and the relative decline in the
fruit imporJatIons from the west
Indies, the Greeks have found a market
for their knowledge, skill and industry
in the United States, and they have
been coming across the ocean in great
numbers and establishing themselves
in the great cities of the country. They
are peddlers, fruit dealers and retail
venders, and possess many advantages
They are quick-witted. They learn
English readily. They have natural
aptitude for trade, for negotiation and
for bargaining-so much so that the
Greeks have come to be known as 'the
/ Jews of the Mediterranean" They are
the money-changers, bankers, factors
and traders of all Egypt. They are to
be found in all the large cities of Tur-
key, both in Europe and in Asia, and in
southern France, particularly in and
about the city of MGrseilles, they are
very numerous ana lndueptial
But the Greeks and the Italians in the
big cities in the United States are al
ways quarreling. They are business
rivals They do not dwell together IN
harmony. The ardent temperament
| of the men and women of both ma
tions, neighbors abroad, but of differ
ent races; the difference in religion
| and the jealousy of centuries-all these
| things have the effect of fostering their
| lack of friendliness for each other.
| More than 20 centuries ago Greece and
Rome were rivals for the political mas
| terv of the civilized world To-day a
| dozen Greeks and a dozen Italians, if
| residents of one house, will wrangle and
| dispute with each other over anything
| from masquerade ball ticket to the
location of fruit or peanut stand.
| Odd1v enough, as has been observed,
/ the Greeks in New York and elsewhere
dwell in harmony with other for
eigners, except the Italians, and the
Italians with other foreigners except
the Greeks. the adoption OF the read
inr and writing test for immigrants
will have the effect hereafter of ex-
cluding relatively more Italians than
Greeks, for the ratio of illiteracy is
higher in Italy than it is in Greece.-N.
y. Sun.