In our last issue we dealt only with the events of the Ahepa convention up to last Thursday. We would like to mention further the dinner which was given. The Greek Community of Chicago had never before witnessed such a gala affair, attended by more than sixteen hundred persons.....Mr. A. Pantelis, Chicago lawyer, was toastmaster of the dinner. Eleven after-dinner speeches were made by both Greek and American notables. Among the speakers were Mr. B. Atchinson, secretary of the Near East Foundation....The special guest, Mr. Alexander Papanastasiou, spoke to an enthusiastic audience. He was followed by the Greek ambassador, Mr. T. Sicilimnos, who addressed the mixed group in English. He said....that the democracy or republic of the United States is a daughter of the ancient Greek democracy.....

On Thursday afternoon six hundred Greek women, most of them visiting the 2city to attend the convention, were present at a tea party in the Narcissus Room at Marshall Field's.

Meanwhile the convention was in progress. The following decisions were reached by the convention and the various committees:

1. From this time on the members of the Ahepa will be free to address the chair in either Greek or English. Prior to this time all formal speeches have had to be made in English. However, all records, minutes and accounts shall be in English.

2. The auxiliary organization, Sons of Pericles, shall receive annual financial benefits from the Ahepa. The central office of the Sons shall be moved to Washington D. C. within the next thirty days.

3. Formal recognition is made of the Maidens of Athena (girls' auxiliary) 3and the Daughters of Penelope (women's auxiliary). The main purpose of these organizations is to support Greek schools and other beneficial organizations.

4. The Ahepa periodical shall publish more material and articles in understandable Greek than it has in the past. By "understandable" Greek we mean the simple, not the literary Greek.

5. Four needy Greek students of American Universities shall be given scholarships annually. Ahepa will also honor any boy of Greek descent graduating from West Point Military Academy or Annapolis Naval Academy.

6. Every member of the Ahepa organization shall be insured--for the time being, for one hundred and fifty dollars.

7. The decision has been made to support the movement to erect a 4statue to George Dillboy, Greek World War hero, in the gardens of Hines Hospital.

Many other decisions were made, but the foregoing were the most important.

One of the finest acts of this convention was the wholehearted acceptance of the suggestion made by Mr. M. Bisanthe that the Ahepa should inform the Swedish Academy of Literature that it considers the Greek poet, Mr. Palamas, worthy of the 1935 Nobel Prize.

"The American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association, in national convention assembled, this day of August 23, 1935, at the Sherman Hotel in Chicago, has passed unanimously the following resolution:

"Whereas, The American Hellenic Progressive Association, known, also, as 5the Ahepa--an organization composed mostly of American citizens of Greek descent, with hundreds of members in the United States--has been authoritatively acquainted with the outstanding value of the poetic works and literary contributions of the poet, Costes Palamas, to Greek letters and to the literature of the world in general, and

"Whereas, It is the conviction of the rank and file of the said Ahepa that the compositions of Costes Palamas are of an outstanding nature and of a permanent literary value, unsurpassed by any other contemporary author, and

"Whereas, The world owes a token of appreciation to this Greek poet for his efforts and contributions to literature: be it therefore

"Resolved, That the chairman of this convention, Mr. Constantine Tsangadas, be authorized to send a telegram to the Nobel Prize Committee for Literature, 6Swedish Academy, Stockholm, Sweden, asking, on behalf of this national convention, that the Nobel Prize of 1935 for literature be awarded to the Greek poet, Costes Palamas, one of the official candidates. Be it further

"Resolved That Costes Palamas, the Poet Laureate of Greece, is the unanimous choice of the convention and members of the Ahepa for this recommendation to the Nobel Prize Committee for Literature."

On Saturday it was decided to hold the next national convention in St. Paul, Minnesota. Other cities which asked for the convention were Cincinnati, New Orleans, and Providence. As the result of an all-night session, matters were so arranged that the election of officers could take place. Day and night, the candidates and their supporters, friends, and managers had been meeting in private rooms and making campaign plans and platforms galore.

This Gordian Knot could only be cut by the sword of the final vote. Saturday morning nominations were asked for. Mr. C. Tsangadas, in a fiery and enthusiastic speech, nominated for the presidency Mr. William Chebithes, whose picture appears in this issue. He described the nominee as being "one of the most capable members of Ahepa and possessed with enviable ability". A former president, Mr. Alfantzis, nominated Mr. P. Vournas, of Washington....

In the end there were four nominations opposed to that of Chebithes, made by four former presidents of Ahepa.

The first vote was called for....and was counted by Arthur Peponis, a prominent Chicagoan. The results were as follows: Mr. Chebithes received 40 whole votes and 53 half votes--in all, 66 1/2 votes; Mr. Vournas received 830 whole votes and 15 half votes--37 1/2, in all.....Then Mr. Vournas withdrew his candidacy and the hearts of all beat with excitement concerning who would receive those 37 1/2 votes. Then the second vote was taken. The votes were counted by Mr. Peponis and announced. The convention had elected Mr. William Chebithes to the presidency with 90 1/2 votes.

Everyone rushed to congratulate the victorious candidate, who was crying from pride and joy.

The election was continued, but with lessened tension, for the biggest battle was over. Mr. Tsangadas, of Detroit, was elected supreme vice president.

The convention was closed at 1:30 P. M., Sunday. Immediately afterward Mr. Kastonis introduced the new officers of the organization. Sunday night 9the annual farewell party took place on the twenty-sixth floor of the Sherman Hotel.

Monday noon marked the opening of the first meeting under the direction of the new supreme president and his cabinet. The program and objectives of the coming year were discussed....

The assembled guests of Chicago began preparations for their return to their respective towns and homes. The majority of them were well satisfied with the results of the election and the accomplishments of the convention, as a whole.

The Greek Press and the Greek community of Chicago wish to congratulate the Ahepa convention for its intelligent attitude toward the problems of the immigrated Greeks and for its election of a capable man like William Chebithes to the supreme presidency.