It is generally admitted that the Spartans were the first to take up the confectioner's trade. By Spartans, we mean all the inhabitants of the province of Laconia--that is, the Lacedaemonians, the Epidaurians, and even the Cynourians, who,although they are from the central province of Arcadia, are closely connected with the Spartans by commerce and trade.

Among the thirty thousand Greeks in Chicago today, one can find a representative of almost every village and town in Greece. In the confectionery line, however, the majority are from Sparta and the province of Laconia.

On every great business corner in Chicago you will find the brightly lighted, clean, neat, and attractive Greek confectionery store. You cannot help but be impressed by the shining soda fountains, the multi-colored and bright marble 2plates, and the beautiful glass showcases full of a great variety of candy and delicatessen products. Almost two thirds of the confectionery business of Chicago is in the hands of Greeks. Besides candies, refreshing drinks, and ice cream, one will find cigars, cigarettes, and fresh fruit in our confectionery stores. Thus, the great tobacco, beverage, and fruit concerns are dependent to a very great extent on the Greeks.

The annual sales made by Greek candy stores amount to many millions of dollars. Business conditions in Chicago are determined, to a large extent, by the progress and prosperity of our many enterprises, especially of the Greek-owned confectionery and restaurant businesses.

When the Greeks of Chicago entered the candy store business fifteen years ago, all our present great soda fountain, fixture, furniture, candy and beverage manufacturing concerns were in a stage of infancy. With the development of Greek confectioneries, many great and powerful American industries came into being, with great plants and huge capital. These companies became prosperous 3because of their business connections with our people. Unfortunately, however, we are not given due recognition.

The Greek's greatest fault is his egoism and intense individualism. You hear him say: This is I! Do you know who I am? This selfish, egocentrism is our people's greatest drawback, our most fateful disease.

In its desire to offer its best services for the good of all, Saloniki will not unduly praise nor maliciously condemn any of our businessmen, irrespective of occupation or calling, as many other newspapers do. We do not believe in flattery, nor in inflating the ego of our fellow countrymen by printing their names and parading their virtues and "titles of nobility" with no practical or good end in mind.

No! In America there are as yet no Greek tycoons of commerce and industry as there are in Egypt. The Greeks of Chicago, and of America in general, have worked long and hard in every kind of business, particularly in the confectionery 4line. Unfortunately, they did not work and create in a systematic and well-planned way. Instead of grasping the opportunity of becoming rich themselves, they have given that opportunity to the companies and manufacturing concerns they were dealing with.

We are firmly convinced that a powerful and harmoniously functioning corporation of even a thousand Greek confectioners could lay the foundation for large and prosperous companies manufacturing soda-fountain installation systems, beverages, candies, and tobacco. An all-powerful confectioners corporation could regulate the wholesale prices of the foregoing commodities and manufactures as if it were a monopoly exchange. As things are today, our Greek confectioners buy their candy-store commodities at a very high price, and we might say that they are working for the great companies.

If only five or ten confectioners would agree to make their purchases jointly, they undoubtedly would be able to obtain more reasonable and greatly reduced prices. They could thus effect a considerable saving on their purchases.

But if a thousand Greek confectioners would unite and form a corporation or a union of some sort, they could 1) make their purchases collectively; 2) save much by the substantial discount; 3) organize a first-class corporation, or, let us say, a chamber of commerce, by which all wholesale as well as retail prices could be fixed and regulated. This would be a veritable price-fixing "Greek exchange".

Such a corporation, such a union, would elevate and give great prestige to the Greek businessman in the American market, for he would have to be considered an important business and financial factor. This miracle could be easily performed if our blind egotism and selfish individualism did not stand in the way. The disunion and disorganization within our community have contributed much to accentuate our selfishness, suspicion, fear, and distrust. For this very reason, Saloniki believes that the consolidation of our institutions and forces within our community will, as a matter of course, bring about co-operation and united action in the entire confectionery business, a development which will give us great national prestige.

The opinions of interested and loyal Greeks on this problem will be published very soon. It is the duty of every good and progressive confectionery store owner to discuss his problems and freely express his opinion on the whole confectionery question. This must be for the common good.

There are many who think that nothing can be done. However, we must work on and attempt to accomplish something, because we know that much can be done. We must not relapse into inert resignation, and say that it is a good and a worthy cause, but that nothing can be done about it.