.^r ^v -J^, .0 ^- \i^'"^- ^°'^t°- /\!^;^^\ c- .S^^ ^^0^ A o ■/ J' %. rV '^^ / <.^' "'^t Learning the United States Through Printed Word In the Principal Foreign Languages By ARISTOTLE S. TSAKONAS, M. E. former Consul for Greece at PMladelphia and Commercial Adviser to the Greek Legation at Washington Philadelphia, Pa., U. S. A. 1920 Learning the United States through the Printed World in the Principal Foreign Languages "The Americanization of alien peoples in the United States could not be fully realized unless such peoples had a me- dium published in their own language." (R. S. MaeElvee, Ph. D., Director, Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce, Department of Com- merce, Washington, D. C, Aug., 1920.) I have before me a copy of the "EXPORT AMERICAN INDUSTRIES," also "L'AMERIQUE," "AMERICA/' and "A AMERICA," published by the "National Association of Manu- facturers of the United States of America" in New York City. When I saw the Portuguese edition, I thought an illustrated periodical published in the Greek language, treating not only with commercial and industrial matters and new American inventions, but also with other subjects concerning house industries, sanita- tion, food, plants, animal industry and many other valuable and practical matters contained in the official "Farmers' Bulletins," the Bulletins of the Agricultural Experimental Stations and various very instructive publications of the other Departments, would certainly render valuable services to the Greeks living in the United States. Such a comprehensible illustrated publica- tion v^^ill make the Greek intimate with American ideas and ac- tivities. His attention will be directed to nev/ opportunities offered him, and eventually to the members of his family and his relatives, through "AMEPIKH" (AMERICA). The Greek emigrant entering the United States begins to work in Greek candy, fruit, shoe and hat-cleaning stores, res- taurants or grocery stores, where only Greek is spoken and Greek papers are read. He lives and works very hard with the sole purpose of making money and returning to Greece. He pays no attention to American matters, thinking, like most of the foreign- ers, that the Americans are only money-makers. He seldom reads in Greek newspapers descriptions of important American works and American genius, ideals, charities, etc. The Greek lives decades in this country and his attention is only drawn to misdeeds of the community, rendering him totally ignorant of the merits, the talent and the character of the true American. Alien peoples do not care much for lectures, or for hearing a teacher, even if the teaching is done in their mother tongue. Clearly written and illustrated matter in their native language is easily assimilated and remains in the memory of the ahen to whom rightly applies the Latin motto, "Verba volant, scripta manent." The opportunity to develop important Greek trade is very favorable to our manufacturers on account of the 450,000 Greeks and Greek-speaking individuals residing in the United States. They have regular correspondence with more than two millions of their relatives living in the old and Greater Greece. The Greeks are sending Greek newspapers and magazines published in this country to their relatives and friends in Greece. Consequently, the proposed Greek edition will be an excellent advertising medium for American manufacturers and exporters. The size of the periodical in question should not exceed 6x9 inches and should begin with the text, so that the reader may easily separate the reading matter from the advertisements and keep it in his pocket ready to be read at any convenient time and place. Greece is an agricultural country. The Greek is a hard- working man and likes farming. According to Prof. Berhard Ostorlenk, Director of the Na- tional Farm School, at Farm School, Pa., a million acres of im- proved land are idle in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey and New England. Aliens could without much difficulty be induced to till the soil, by many arguments and examples of successful cases, which must be convincingly written in their mother tongue. Such a practical publication, as I conceive it, will instruct the Greek and give him a complete understanding of American institutions. Furtherm^ore, it will serve for two other purposes, namely: The absolute inexpensive Americanization, and the profitable advertising of American products among the Greeks in the United States and the whole Greece. MOVEMENT OF GREEK NEWSPAPERS AND BOOKS IN THE UNITED STATES There are in the United States and Canada over 100,000 Greeks who are subscribers and readers of Greek newspapers and bool's. Eighteen Greek papers and periodicals are regularly published in the United States. Over thirty Greek schools, with about 5,000 pupils, are in the Union. The value of imported and domestic Greek books, sold to the Greek aliens, amounts to $80,000 yearly. There are over 300 students and graduates in and from American universities and other educational institu- tions. There are Greeks graduated with honor and who are teaching in American universities and colleges. The intellectual movement of the Greeks in the United States is highly satis- factory. In accordance with a statement of the *'RITESERVICE" Advertising Agency in New York City, the three most important Portuguese weeklies issued in the United States showed in Feb- ruary, 1919, a total circulation of only 27,695 copies, against 51,740 copies of only two Greek daily papers published in New York City. The combined circulation of all papers published in the Union, in the Rumanian, Serbian, Bulgarian, Armenian and Syrian (Arabian) languages does not exceed 50,000 copies, ac- cording to the statement of the above-mentioned agency. Our Vice-Consul, George P. Waller, Jr., at Athens, Greece, is rightly stating in Commerce Reports for May 3rd, 1918, that : "The average Greek is an inveterate reader of news- papers, and whether at home or in cafe, club, or coffee shop, reads every day five or six newspapers published in Greek." EDUCATIONAL PROGRESS IN THE UNITED STATES UNKNOWN ABROAD Foreigners do not quite realize the educational progress of our Republic. They do not know that in 1916 there were in the Union 574 universities, colleges and schools of technology, with 34,869 professors and instructors. The number of students — preparatory, collegiate and graduate — was 311,885. They do not know that in 1918 we had 890 commercial schools with 289,579 students. In 1916 there were in the United States 580 professional schools with 69,275 students. Foreigners here in the Union have no idea of the schools of agriculture, trade or industry and home economics established through the enormous energy of the Federal Board of Vocational Education, which is a strong government body only three years old. End of June, 1919, there were enrolled in said schools 194,895 pupils of both sexes, receiving instruction by a staff of 6,252 teachers. It is not known to the general public that we have seventy agricultural colleges and about the same number of agricultural experimental stations. Even in this country many are ignorant of the fact that in 1918, 20,853,516 pupils were enrolled in public, graded and high schools, excluding private schools, and having a staff of 663,400 teachers and principals. The annual expenditure of the United States Government amounted to $763,678,089. 6 All the above figures have been extracted from the "Statis- tical Abstract of the United States" for 1919. The name of the "Edison of the West," the eminent Luther Burbank, is unknown abroad. Only some scientists are familiar with his enormous and brilliant work. We have over twenty office labor-saving machines and de- vices of pure American invention which are not known in the Balkan and Near Eastern States, where only the regular type- writers and mimeographs are in use. The wonderful automatic machines for cartooning, grading, filing, cleaning, wrapping, labeling, packing, etc., etc., and the numerous labor-saving metal and woodv\^orking machines are absolutely unknown to the peoples of the above-named countries. A French mining engineer expressed to me lately his admira- tion of our unexcelled mining equipments. America's unselfish political conduct, her universally admired philanthropic work, are sincerely appreciated by the whole world, and especially in the Balkan and Near Eastern nations, which v/ould gladly send to us their sons for education. But, first of all, foreigners must leam not only the material but also the intellectual forces of our great Republic. The suggested Greek publication will inform the Greek nation that our country offers their sons the same advantages offered by the old European nations in regard to science, and even greater advantages and opportunities having relation with technical education. PUBLICATIONS IN ENGLISH DO NOT PROMOTE TRADE WITH GREECE The Greek does not understand the English language. Pub- lications, therefore, and catalogues in English are of no use to the Greek merchant or manufacturer. On the other hand, the plethora of export and import offices, established by various creeds during the war in this country, are very seldom equipped with the needed linguistic and literary power to understand de- scriptions of mechanical devices in English, and to translate same intelligently, so that tlie advantages and use of the offered article are easily understood by the prospective customer. With regard to the French language, I must herewith repro- duce and maintain the following passage from a booklet which I pu.bHshed in Philadelphia, Pa., in 1906, under the title, "Ameri- can Trade With the Levant and Its Possibilities." "Many people think that the French language is gen- erally understood in Greece, and therefore many American, English and some German firms are sending French cata- logues and letters to that counti-y. It is true that many educated Greeks, such r.s lawyers, physicians, engineers and some merchants, understand more or less of French, but the masses of the people know no more of it than they CO of Chinese." I know from personal experience how difficult it is for me not to introduce into Greece American agricultural machinery, but to sell them and at the same time to satisfy the purchaser, who should be instructed how to use them. In 1900, 1 perfectly succeeded in that, first by verbal explana- tions of the advantages of my article, in comparison to others, and, second, by offering unlimited numbers of profusely illus- trated Greek catalogues in colors, forming 36 pages, size 7x9 inches, and containing in clear Greek language distinct instruc- tions for the use of the product of the "MacCormick Harvesting Machine Co.," in Chicago, 111., for whom I was sole agent for Greece. MENTAL CAPACITY OF THE GREEK To the passioned Greek the following motto of a Gernian writer could very well be applied: "Ohne Leidenschaft giebt es keine Genialitaet." (Without passion there is no genius.) I may mention herewith the opinions of only one American and one Englishman, very well known authorities, who studied profoundly for many years the Greek conditions and character. There was Samuel Gridles Howe, of Boston, who states in his introduction of George Finlay's booklet, "Hellenic Kingdom and the Greek Nation," as follows: "Compared with other nations the Greeks will be found to merit a considerable degree of freedom. Their intellec- tual capacity ever has been, and still is, of the highest order; their elasticity of spirit is unbroken; the Greek is never bloodthirsty, never gluttonous, never drunk; he is temperate in all but joy and grief; and the vices that disgrace his character are those caused by oppression and degradation." On the other hand, the English author, J. P. Mahaffy, in his excellent work, "Rambles and Studies in Greece," 7th edition, 1913, presents as follows the intellectual energy of the Greeks: "They are probably as clever a people as can be found in the world, and fit for any mental work whatever. This they have proved, not only by getting into their hands all the trade of the Eastern Mediterranean, but by holding their own among English merchants in England.^ As yet they have not found any encouragement in other directions; but if settled among a great people and weaned from the follies of jealousies of Greek politics, they would (like the Jews) outrun many of us, both in politics and science. However that may be — and perhaps such a development requires moral qualities in which they seem deficient — it is certain that their workmen learn trades with extraor- dinary quickness; while their commercial or professional men acquire languages, and the amount of knowledge necessary for making money, with the most singular apt- 8 ness. But as yet they are stimulated by the love of gain. "Having been at all ages with a very bright intellect, and a great reasonableness, they have an intellectual in- sight into things Virhich is consistent with the storm of wilder passion." Our merchants and manufacturers do not realize that the • commerce of the Near East is controlled by Greeks, a fact which is pointed out by all our Consuls in those countries. An equally well established fact is that the Greeks can learn America only through printed and verbal word in their own language — adver- tisements and catalogues in other languages is wasted time. A SUGGESTION Our largest industrial organization, "The National Associa- tion of Manufacturers of the United States of America," which numbers 5,400 members and employs 6,000,000 persons, would essentially help official and private endeavors, as regards Ameri- canization, if it would compile comparative statistical tables showing the nationality, the age, the religion, the time of living in the United States, the occupation, the wages and salaries paid, the education, the manual and mental ability, the character, the degree of loyalty shown to our institutions, etc., etc., of all races engaged in the industrial enterprises of our manufacturers. CONCLUSION In the following I give a summary of the reasons which plead for the suggested Greek publication by the "National Asso- ciation of Manufacturers," or the "National City Bank," "the American Manufacturers' Export Association," the "Commercial Museum of Philadelphia," or any other American institution con- templating foreign trade promotion and Americanization. 1. The needs of Greater Greece are greater than those of Portugal. 2. The density of population is greater than that of Portu- gal and other Latin-American states in which we have invested much money and brains. 3. The soil of Greece is almost virgin, and the mineral and agricultural products, as regards quality and quantity, unrivaled and easily accessible. 4. Following the axiom, "Distance rules commerce," Greece and all the Near Eastern States are more favorably situated for us than many Latin-American countries. 5. The commercial integrity of the Greek is unquestionable. 6. Financial Greece, despite the three wars, is in a better condition than many neutral countries. 7. The intellectual capacity of the Greek surpasses that of the Latin races. From the foregoing, one may easily conclude that Greece, in the intellectual sense, already an important factor in the Eastern Mediterranean region, will become a world power through the splendid achievements of the pre-eminent statesman Venizelos. Indisputably, the commercial, industrial, agricultural, etc., development of Greater Greece will be rapid and tremendous. Making a comparison of Portuguese and Grecian conditions, we see that the figures of the following comparative table pleads very strongly and most favorably for the proposed Greek pub- lication and supplements the above exhibited arguments. If the Portuguese editions of so many trade papers published in the United States proved successful, I am positively convinced that the suggested Greek edition will fulfill the scope on a larger scale and be even more successful. Had I the necessary material means, I would not hesitate one moment to embark heart and soul in the suggested work, which would, beyond any doubt, serve the interests of my natal, as well as of this, my adopted country. 1915 1912 1916 10 COMPARATIVE TABLE AREA PORTUGAL GREECE 1915 35,501 sq. mi. including Madeira and Azores, 808,109 sq. mi. Colonies. 1912 25,000 sq. miles 1920 72,000 sq. miles POPULATION 6,000,000, incl. Madeira and Azores. 9,278,000, Colonies. 1914 4,802,000 1920 8,500,000 TOTAL COMMERCE Imports $80,585,000 Exports 37,062,000 Imports 158,000,000 Exports 85,000,000 For 1918 and 1919 no statistics available. 1912 Imports $30,428,000 Exports 28,209,000 1916 Imports 77,092,000 Ebcports 29,884,000 1919 Imports 241,987,130 (1) Exports 115,381,729 (1) COMMERCE WITH U. S. A. From Portugal, 1912 — Imports. $6,200,190 From Greece, 1912-13— Imports. $3,179,816 To " Exports. . 2.765,654 To Exports . 1,216,195 From " 1916 — Imports. 7,171,295 From " 1916 — Imports. 10,595,476 To " Exports . 15,325,193 To Exports . 33,685,689 From " 1919 — Imports. 6,414,961 From " 1919 — Imports 13,987,5871 To " Exports. 19,829,874 To Exports . 67,685,27P MERCHANT NAVY 227 Steamers of 261,212 gross tons in 1919. 94 Sailing vessels, 30,986 gross tons In 1919. Greek Official Data of January, 192ft. 229 Steamers, 430,237 gross tons. 754 Sailing vessels, 108,218 gross tons. 214 Small steamers in Danube River. 94 Tow boats in Galatz, Rumania. 29 Tow boats in Constantinople. N. B.^For political and other reasons many ships owned by Greeks sailed under Turkish or other flagrs. BUDGET 1913-14 Revenue. 1917-18 $84,000,000 (2) Expenditure 92,243,000 (2) Revenue 17,000,000 (3) Expenditure 17,000,000 (3) Revenue 30,605,000(3) Expenditure 33,810,000 (3) Revenue 88,549,000 (2) Expenditure 92,250,000 (2) 1912 Revenue $27,918,000 Expenditure 27,492,000 1918 Revenue 55,569,000 Expenditure 147,239,000 1920 Revenue 199,500,000 (4) Expenditure 250,000,000 NATIONAL DEBT 1913 $947,603,000 1918 1,289,646,000 Per capita, 216.46. Rate of interest, 3 — 5 per cent. Per capita, 5.73. 1913 $206,640,000 1919 469,362,000 1920 633,600,000(5) Per capita, 94.82. Rate of interest, 2^ — 5 per cent. Per capita, 2.48. INTEREST AND OTHER ANNUAL CHARGES In 1919 $34,122,000 In December, 1919 $12,291,000 PAPER CIRCULATION AND GOLD RESERVE December, 1919, transformed into U. S. In December, 1919, transformed into U. S. Dollars at normal exchange of milreis. Dollars of normal course -of Drachma, it was only 2.6 per cent, of gold to it was 130.3 per cent, of gold to notes notes. (6). Circulation of notes per capita, 294. Circulation of notes per capita, 240. LANGUAGE SPOKEN Not over 10,000,000 persons in the mother country and Colonies (7). In Greece, Balkan States and Near Eastern countries by 15,000,000 persons. IMMIGRANTS IN THE U. S. A. 1891 to 1919, incl 160,000 1894 to 1919 incl 353,000 (8) 11 NOTES TO THE PRECEDING TABLE 1. From January 1st to October 31st, 1919, according to statistics of the Greek Government, which gives the values in Drachmas, which are transformed in U. S. Dollars of normal exchange of Drachma. The total value of the imports and domestic exports of the United States from and into Greece during the year ended December 31st, 1919, for merchandise only, are given from the Department of Commerce in Washington, as follows: Imports from Greece $28,599,669 Domestic exports to Greece 40,337,038 2. In the mother country. 3. In the colonies. 4. The estimated revenue for 1920-1921 amounts to Drachmas 1,169,511,196 ($225,715,661). 5. Bulgaria has to pay to Greece a war indemnity of gold francs 2,250,000,000 $434,250,000). Greece also claims from Germany an indemnity of gold francs 3,500,000,0 Greece also claims from Germany an indemnity of gold francs 3,500,000,000 ($675,500,000) for losses sustained by the activities of the German submarines to the shipping interests of Greece during the war. 6. Following a table compiled by the National City Bank of New York, and published in the "Americas" of January, 1920, Greece surpasses all the nations in gold reserve. 7. Brazil, counting 25,000,000 people, of whom only 25 per cent, belong to the white race, many of whom are illiterate. Regarding illiteracy in Brazil, I read in the excellent work, "The Brazilians and Their Coun- try," written in 1917 by the well-known author, Mr. Clayton Sedwich Cooper, the following: "It is in the realm of elementary education that Brazil is particularly weak to-day. This is revealed in part by some- what astonishing percentage of illiteracy, which is estimated to be not less than 70 per cent, of the entire population. To be sure, Brazil has a somewhat more complex problem than many of the South American states, because of the numbers of her negro and Indian population, especially in the north and in the interior of her extensive domain." One official excused the municipal authorities when accused of not furnishing money for a much-needed school building by saying: "How could we build a new schoolhouse when we had only enough money to build the theatre?" 8. During the same period Turkish immigrants (Turkish subjects) amounted to 312,000, of v/hom over 50 per cent, are Greeks. Remark. — Since coal and the want of fuel and cheap transportation facilities are marked in Portugal, valuable Portuguese mines are not exploited. Per contra there exists in Greece abundantly a very good quality of lignite under progressing exploitation. Oil fields in the island of Zante are now drilled. Also in Epirus (northern Greece), near Malissa River, British oil interests and the Royal Dutch Syndicate have received concessions in newly discovered oil fields. There are already Greek capitalists investigating the water power of Macedonia. For the utilization of the estimated 350,000 horse- power a capital of about 170,000,000 Drachmas ($34,000,000 at normal exchange) is needed. GLENOLDEN, Pa., October, 1920. ARISTOTLE S. TSAKONAS RD -58 O N ^^^ A .^' .<{> A ^o V^ o > ^°-;.. .0^ -> .0^ '^oV^ o