The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-04-12

west thoroughfares where they cross it.
There they have established their
Oriental way of life with astonishing
fidelity to their own traditions, and
there may be seen, and day, all SORTS
of types of humanity, common enough
in the domains of the Sultan, but
strangely at variance with the teeming
life which now surrounds them.
The Armenians, however, have set
tied all over the town, among Jews and
Gentiles, Germans and Swedes, Ital-
ians and Irish Armenians are to be
found in highpriced apartments and
in dingy, cheap tenements, in brown
stone fronts in the fifties and eighties,
and in neat suburban cottages. They
are thoroughly segregated in their liv-
ing and they seem more anxious than
most immigrants to "Americanize"
themselves thoroughly-to sink their
nationality and their ancient ways as
soon as possible.
This is probably due to their ex-
cessive ambition to get on, more than
to anything else, but it would be as
easy for a japanese to disguise his ma
tionality as it would be for an Ar
menian. This come partially from the
Armenian nervousness and their pc
culiar construction of English SEN
fences, but much more from divers
racial characteristics and the sound of
their names. Unlike immigrants of
some nationalities, the Armenians have
not yet adopted the trick of taking
English or Scotch names to any ex-
tent. They are intensely loyal to the
land of their adoption, however, and
like the Syrians and the Arabs, cherish
the most exaggerated ideals of personal
liberty.
Unlike the Syrians and Arabs, who
have two newspapers-one a daily
the Armenians, so far, are without a
public journal.
But while the Armenians do not
gather in one section of the town, they
are prone to follow certain occupa-
tions. Dealing in rugs and other ORR
entail fabrics is one of these, and nat
urally enough, since they are great rug
and fabric makers at home. There are
clerks, also, salespeople, small dealers
and a few bankers.
In time there will be more of the
latter, since they have a positive genius
for finance, but the number of Arme-
mans who have entered any of the So
called industrial employments is small
Curiously enough, the one mechani-
cal trade to which they seem most
attracted is zinc photo etching. This
is the process by which most of the
plates for newspaper, book and peri
odical Illustrations are now made. The
curious part of the proposition arises
from the fact that at home under the
Sultan's rule the Armenians have no
opportunity to follow this trade, and
consequently no pre-acquired aptitude
for it.
Despite the fact that the photo
etchers of the Engravers' Union in
New York have tried their utmost TO
keep them out. Armenians are to be
found to-day in the engraving depart
ment of nearly every big newspaper
and publishing house in New York.
More than this. though the unions
fought them with vigor at first. the
present head of Etchers' Union No. 1
is an Armenian by birth, and little by
little the nationality is becoming a
predominant factor in the trade.
AS etchers they are excellent work
men, according to all accounts, but
as photogra pliers they have yet to
make their way. This is odd on the
face of it. since every photo-etching
establishment has to have photogra-
pliers as we'll as etchers. The reason
Armenfans do not photograph sue
cessfully is said to be in their nerv-
BUSINESS. Photographers. especially
for engraving purposes, must have
steady, almost unshakable, nerves.
Occasionally an Armenian takes to
illustration, though few go in for high
art. There was one Armenian por-
New York a few years ago, whose