The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-03-15
GREEKS IN THIS COUNTRY.
Over 10000 of Them Are Seeking
Their Fortunes Among Us.
New York Sun.

New 1Ork sun.
During the last fifteen years the number
of Greeks in this country has increased
from two thousand to twelve thousand or
fifteen thousand. who are distributed as
follows: Chicago. $500; New York and San
Francisco. 1500 each. and smaller numbers
in Lowell Mass. Pittsburg, Philadelphia
Boston, Baltimore. Savannah and Calves
ton. The majority of the Greeks in this
and other large cities arr engaged in the
fruit, flower and confectionery business
Next come those employed i'm the manufac-
ture OF cigarettes and the. Importation of
sponges, and most of them make COM
Portable living There are a few whose
social and commercial standing is equal to
that of men of any nationality But the
ma jorty men of small means. and are
engaged as flower and fruit peddlers in
which capacity they have largely supplant-
ed the sons of sunny Italy. as can be seen
by their carts standing in Park row and
around the postoffice at all hours of the
day and night
The Greek fruit vendors life is not an
easy one He is his feet from early in
the morning till late in the evening, in all
kinds of weather, and that experience is
a trying one for a hearty Spartan. But
what is more trying than either long hours
or the incemency of the weather is the
answer a charge of obStructing the street
Nothing exasperates Greek fruit VEN
der so much as peremptory order from
policeman TO move on, there, ana De
quick about it,
A desire TO better their condition is the
inducement which has caused so many of
King Georges subjects to Ieave their home
i'm a land where every season smiles.
Most of the new arrivals start business as
cut flowers a sonorous voice. a pair of
strong legs sharp eye Tor the pohceman
and a mastery OF the flower peddlers
abridged business vocabulary. consisting OF
a few sentences. such as Five cents a
bunch, ladies' Ten cents apiece. "A
dozen for a quarter are all the requisite
equipments for the Greek apprentice when
he makes his start in business either for
himself or on salary in the employ of one
of his countrymen. 1t is not an exaggera-
ton to saw that the traffic in flowers along
Fourteenth and Twenty-third streets: in
Guiding the adjoining avenues, as We'll as
other thOroughfares IN the upper part OF
the metropolis is if not exclusively. at
least the largest part of il. in the hands
of the Greeks. most OF whom are Spartans
Those that do not take kindly to Flora 5
products turn their attention to those OF
Pomona. the only expense incurred In the
latter business being the purchase or rental
of a push cart and the necessary capital
for filling IL with California Juicy
products. Not few who nave started life
either as flower or fruit peddlers have pros
pered Some of them have amassed enough
capital to enable them 10 open regular
stores in some OF the best parts OF the city;
others have sent their money to be in
vested at home. keeping only enough here
TO enable them 10 earn more.
As a rule. the Greeks are a prudent. eco
nomical. industrious and good-hearted lot
of people. and. while they often deprive
themselves even of the necesSarieS OF life
i'm order TO save a little money. they never
snii 70 nrovide for the old folks AT home
with promptness and liberalty.
In this way hundreds of mortgages of the
old people have been paid off. sisters and
daughters made comfortable for life. and
money In various other ways has poured
into Greek villages and towns. The same
spirit which the Greek exhibits in the per-
Torrance of his filal duties he also mani
tests toward his commonwealth IL is not
strange therefore, to find that many of the
churches and schools and other charitable
institutions recently put up I'm the towns
and villages of Greece have been paid for
by money contributed by the Greeks in
| America who. six or eight years ago
| started business here with push cart.
The Greeks engaged in the manufacture
| of Turkish cigarettes. although hampered
| Inv want of capital, have succeeded fairly
| we'll owing mainly Ia the purity of the
| article which they put on the market II
| has been often said that the American
nAnnis like sometimes e be humbugged