The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-10-09
LIKE old us. BEST
George Reklites, Topeka Greek,
Proud of Citizenship.
Sympathies With Mother COun-
try in Present Plight.
TOPEKAN IS IN GREEK ARMY
/, T. J. Reklites, Who Went Back
on Visit, Is Fighting.
Greeks Have Hated Turks for
the Last 522 Years.

Sixty days will end the war in
Greece" says George Reklites, pro-
prietor of a Topeka Candy Kitchen.
within the next few weeks the
Turks are going to try to massacre
every Christian in Asia, and when they
start that, England will step in and
Turkey will be wiped from the face
of the map. But it's not any love of
the Greeks that will bring her to their
rescue. it's for her own advantage
not to let the Mohammedans get
foothold in Europe
France and Italy, Reklites goes on
TO explain, have been on too friendly
terms with Greece since they replaced
fear of arousing their enmity that
England has thus far adopted the
can't-see, can't-hear policy.
The Greeks feel about the Turk the
same way we would feel if Mexico
! would come into the United States and
crowd us into a tiny corner of our
country and take possession of the
rest of the land themselves. We
would always feel that it was our
country and we would always be ready
to fight to regain it. The hatred of
the Greek for the Turk. says Reklites,
has been handed down from genera
ton to generation. Every Greek cher
ishes the fond hope that some day
Greece will be what she used to be.
eAs 1t Was 522 Years Ago.
1t was 522 years ago that the Turk
first drove the Greeks out of Constan-
tfnople. Then in 1921 Greece started
a revolution that's been in progress
more or less ever since. Five hundred
twenty-five years ago there were 70O,-
600 Greeks. Now there are 100000
and they are reported to have the
finest army and navy in the world in
proportion to their size. But as REX
iites explains, that doesn't make much
of a showing in comparison to the
72,O00,00 Mohammedans.
Folks say that Greece won't fight,
because she can't afford it, But any
one will fight for their home, whether
they can afford it or not. Why. the
Turk thinks no more of killing a
Christian than we would of smashing
a spider that we see crawling on the
sidewalk.
There's no chance for the poor man
in Greece. Even in peace times
Greek has to work four times as long
as an American to get as much value
out of his money. There's more
money in Greece today than there ever
has been. but you can buy less with
it than ever"
Topckan in Army.
T. JaReklites, who, until a year ago.
was in partnership with his brother in
Topeka, is now in his mother country,
and has been in the army for seven
months. and he says there's no show
of getting out, as no one under IS
years of age is now exempted from
army service unless they're disabled.
Besides the five million population,
there are now half a million refugees
from Smyrna in Greece.
THE people of Greece" says REX
lites. "are sick of kings. Yes, they
have Just chosen a new ruler, but he'll
not be in power long. He'll be forced
to abdicate as his father was. They've
been seeing how other countries that
have republic form of government are
prospecting and they're beginning to
wonder if they, too. couldn't prosper
If they had a president instead OF a
liking The royal family has always
lbeen a great expense to them. Why
the king receives $4,000 drachmas a
year. That's more than five times
what our president gets. And besides
that, every member of the royal lam
lily is given a large salary yearly.
$50 do you wonder, after all these
things I've told you about Greece, that
I think America is the finest country
in the world. and that I'm. proud to
he an American citiZen2"