In every small or large city in the United States, and especially in the city of Chicago, we dare say that there is no Greek heart that does not beat faster when an appeal is made in the nationwide drive for the Greek Navy. Thousands of dollars will be contributed from the modest pocketbooks of all the Greeks in America. There are many thousands of us who have already done our part.

Greece needs a strong fleet of warships right now. We all know that the security and welfare of Greece depends to a very large extent on the ability of the Greek Navy to protect it from every possible attack. Already five new warships have been added to the naval squadrons of our fatherland, making us stronger and more formidable on the sea.

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The Greeks of Chicago are justly proud of this accomplishment, because they feel that the ships were built with their money and with the money of the rest of the Greeks in the United States.

Admittedly, the Greek is a great lover of his native country; he is deeply moved by the gathering storms and misfortunes which Greece has weathered in recent years. He is greatly concerned with the many perils that surround our fatherland. Because of this devotion and loyalty, the Greek is ever ready to sacrifice his life, his blood, and his possessions; in this respect, he is merely following the precept and example of his ancestors, who proved themselves to be the bravest fighters, who sacrificed wealth and even their lives on their country's altar.

Together with the many excellent and wonderful virtues which we have inherited from our ancestors, there are quite a few faults and vices which have been bequeathed to us. Among these vices and serious shortcomings are internal strife and dissension. Running true to type and as genuine descendants of the 3Greeks of old, our own people in the community of Chicago have experienced and have been torn asunder by civil war, strife, dissension, and disunion, on a small scale. Many bitter battles have been fought among our own brothers, although our differences and arguments could be very easily settled and adjusted peacefully.

A few months ago, a discussion arose among several educated Americans on the question of whether the Greeks of Chicago, for instance, are the direct descendants of those heroes and demigods of ancient Greece. Some said that an inevitable mixture and considerable crossing of the Greek, Roman, and Turkish races had taken place. Others argued that the modern Greeks, and especially the Greeks who come from the provincial and mountain districts of Greece, are indeed the direct descendants of the famous ancient Greeks. At this very point, a famous British historian intervened and said that according to his opinion all contemporary Greeks are the genuine offspring of their ancient ancestors. Supporting this statement of his, he argued as follows: every child will inherit many bad qualities and vices 4together with the good characteristics and virtues of his ancestors. So, along with the many virtues and excellent qualities of the present-day Greeks, there are many vices and shortcomings which have been inherited from their ancestors, the worst of them, of course, being dissension and civil strife.

This observation is very true. The aforesaid historian is absolutely correct, for if one reads the long and splendid history of the Greek nation, he will see the dominant role played by civil wars. He will notice that they were the greatest evils in Greek history. He will learn that because of internecine strife the Greeks suffered many irreparable disasters. We can safely say that Greece went under the Roman yoke in 146 B. C., where she remained until 325 A. D., because of the continuous discord and the bitter internal strife that were going on at that time.

In 490 B. C., a powerful Persian army of 110,000 men was dispatched against Greece, and camped at Marathon. The alarmed and threatened Athenians sent envoys to all the other Greek cities to ask for urgent and immediate help in 5repelling the invader. Each of these cities, even great Sparta herself, turned a deaf ear, using the pretext that the city was celebrating an important feast to appease the gods. Why did not these cities go to the aid of Athens? The answer is simple enough: hatred, jealousy, and continuous strife always existed among the Greek city-states. Every city wanted to win complete dominion over the others. And had not the Athenians the courage and the supreme fighting qualities which they showed in routing the superior forces of the Persians at Marathon, Greece would have been overrun by an uncivilized and barbarous race. With the fall of Athens under the Persian spear, no other Greek city would have been able to stem the power of the barbarian.

And so, dear fellow countrymen and friends, let us get rid of this civil strife and factional dissension and quarreling. Let us eradicate this deadly disease from our souls. Let us not envy or hate a brother who succeeds in life; on the contrary, let us share his happiness and encourage him, for we know that nations grow and are happy only when the individual citizens are 6strong, prosperous, and happy. By abandoning the faults and vices which we have mentioned, we can surely perform greater services to our community and to our fatherland.