News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1897-06-30
JOHN SHERMAN, Secretary"
King George CouIu NOW Itecruit Big
Army Here.

by the federal census OF 1871 UDGre were
only 1887 natives of Greece in the United
States There were fewer Greeks than
men of any other nationality 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, AS in Texas-insgnifican fig
ures when compared with the fact that in
California alone there We're by the same
census 1850 natives of Portugal, and there
were in one state, Iowa, 953 natives of the
little duchy of Luxembourg. Under these
circumstances the proposed enlistment of
$50 Greeks in Chicago to aid their COM
patriots on the Mediterranean in the war
fare in Crete Chicago, which had by the
last census only 254 Greek residents, men,
women and children y might appear to be,
to say the least, a somewhat surprising evil
dence of fervent patriotism, to be explain
ed, perhaps, by the tendency to verbal ex-
aggeratiOn found by some disinterested and
unsympathetic tourists to be general in the
countries of the orient In Pittsburg, too,
where So years ago there were IL Greeks
of both sexes and of all ages, there were
$50 Greek volunteers for Crete.
The explanation of this is as follows:
There are now not 800 Greeks in the
United States, but IS, 000 They have in.
creased in numbers by immigration ,000
per cent in less than seven years, and
there are now 1880 in New York city
alone, $500 in Chicago, 900 in Boston,
and so on. Greece is territorily just two
thirds of the size of Scotland The popu.
lation of the country is about the same as
the present population of the city of New
York, 2, 1000, 900. The Greeks are farmers,
fishermen and fruit raisers, and material
prosperity is not pervasive in the little
kingdom of King George. The Greeks are
not, according to the American standard.
intelligent and progressive husbandmen
or fruit raisers. They have few local man
ufactures. The debt of the country is
heavy, its credit fair and its resources not
| abundant or increasing. With the increase
in the American fruit business, the enor.
nous development of fruit products OF
| California and Florida, and the relative
decline in the fruit importations from the
| West Indies the Greeks have found mar
| ket 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 big
cities of the country. They are peddlers
fruit dealers and retail vendors and possess
many advantages. They are quick witted.
| They learn English readily. They have q
natural aptitude for trade, for negotiation
and for bargaining, SO much SO that
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 Turkey, both in
Europe and in Asia, and in southern
| France, particularly in and about the
city of Marseilles, they are very numerous
and influential
But the Greeks and Italians in the big
cities of the United States are always
| quarreling. They are business rivals.
They do not dwell together in harmony
The ardent temperament of the men and
women of both nations, neighbors abroad
but of different 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 90 centuries ago Greece and
Rome We're rivals for the political mastery
of the civilized world. Today dozen
| Greeks and dozen Italians, if residents
of one house, will wranglo and dispute
with each other over anything from a
masquerade ball ticket to the location of a
fruit or peanut stand. Oddly enough,
as has been observed, the Greeks in New
| York and elsewhere dwell in harmony
| with other foreigners except the Italians
and the Italians with other foreigners ex.
| cept the Greeks Philadelphia Press.