Evening star., 1940-08-25

WAS born the United States and my parents and
their parents and their parents, back to the pioneers of
. Kentucky and the early settlers of Virginia Being
completely American never thought of the United States
the worlds dream of freedom the greatest dream
that true until learned from people who
Americans by choice what they had left behind Europe,
what they expected of the United States what they found
here, and why they Americans today.
They from Europe filled with oppressed minOrities
where people who oppressed knew that in the
old country they could hope to better themselves And
they knew that the United States the only country
earth where any good the next if he be-
leved he They broke all the ties that bound Them left
friends and relatives behind and travelled half the
world that of the dust of Europes empires they could
help to build our Union.
The educated and the wise knew they have to
the bottom and work They deliberately faced lifetime of
hard labor they and their children could be Americans
know Ukranian family who came here to work in the
Pennsylvania mines They arrived New York and found
that they would have to walk to Pennsylvania the train
fare expensive With group other Ukranans they
aoot Peter his high Cossack boots and
brodered Maria her plaid skirt and the apron which
her mother had threads of real silver her best
bodered blouse and the inevitable red beads People gathered
the roadside watch them pass Children threw
them Doors slammed in their faces when they tried
buy food They changed into their Oldest clothes but didn't
help because everything they owned foreign and beautiful
But could talk Ukrainan. Peter told me- In the old
country they put Jail if talked Ukranan We could
sing old songs fellow danced the chumak and
nobody stopped him. After while learned to speak English
and got be Americans, and good anybody
But Peter worked the mines for twenty before he
saved enough to buy little farm
Worth it,? Peter repeated my question and stared pity
ingly Sure worth sent all the kids to college
Nchaels lawyer young Pete studying to be doctor
Anna teaches school, And they're all Americans What
could fellow want?'
i HEN he grinned Just thing could want,
and got it. Folks laugh at me because raise Persian cats
and white mice and cabbages but don't because there's
another place earth where be big damn
fool as he likes and still make living.
Nick sailor Greek cruiser during the first World
War He about twenty years old and he had
given the United States thoughts until he talked to the
sailor from Arizona. Of Nick knew about the United
States several from his village had gone to the
United States and had returned to Greece rich in Amer
can dollars But Nick had had any money and he had
great interest growing rich He interested though
the America that the sailor from Arizona talked about the
America of mountains and plains the America of freedom such
as in Greece had known for two thousand years.
Nick knew little Bakan-pdgin English, and he began
study and to plan He read he could find that
had do with the West He saved his money. In 1927 he
landed in New York already American in his mind
But to New Workers he just Greek and to the Greeks
in New York he just another Greek He had to get job
once, and it rather dismayng to learn that he
expected do what all the other Greeks did, mend Shoes