Today Peter S. Lambros is a Recognized Leader in the Business and Political Life of His City. Read This Human Interest Story of the Obstacles Which He Had to Overcome and How He Overcame Them.

Here is a story of a man who had no opportunities except those which he created for himself, whose life from the time when he arrived at Ellis Island, with only a few dollars in his pockets, unable to speak the English language, and without friends, until he reached his present high position, has been one continuous hurdling of handicaps.

One often finds romance in the most unsuspected places. It is quite impossible to lay one's finger on any point of the map and say, "Here lies romance," or "Romance is not here," according to the appearance of the place.

Romance is everywhere; even in the speeders' court.

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"What!" you say. "In a stuffy old place like that, full of archives and other such stupid things?"

Exactly. For example, the other day I was in the speeders' court in Chicago, in my capacity as newspaper reporter, when Romance brushed me with the hem of her garment. The judge had just disposed of his first case of the afternoon, and the defendant in the second case was being called to the bar as I entered the court-room.

I was just in time to catch the defendant's name, spoken by the magistrate, and I started as I heard it.

"Peter S. Lambros," the judge said, and a dark-complexioned man of medium height and sturdy build stepped forward, accompanied by a policeman.

I had heard the man's name before. It was a famous name in Chicago and elsewhere.

Peter S. Lambros, leader of the Greeks! Could it be the same man? I wondered. I had never met him in my life, but I had heard of him often.

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"You parked your car at the corner of State and Monroe streets yesterday afternoon and left it there nearly an hour," the judge reminded the defendant. "You know that you are not allowed to let your car stand in one spot for so long a time."

The defendant nodded and smiled good-naturedly. Amiability and self-confidence were patent in his features, in the way he talked, in his general demeanor.

"I know," he answered simply; and them he added, "I should like to tell you a story."

The judge was not in the mood to hear any stories just then, but the defendant insisted that the story he had to tell was well worth listening to. At last the judge permitted him to tell it.

"Twenty-five years ago," the defendant began, "I sold bananas as a common street-vendor at the corner of State and Monroe streets. I was led to that corner yesterday by the memory of it all. Well, in those old days I travelled about with 4a push-cart, and the police kept telling me to move on. Now I live in a fine house on Sheridan Road and drive an automobile, and still the police tell me to move on."

The judge smiled at this.

"All right," he said, "you are discharged; but don't let your car stand like that again."

The man, Peter S. Lambros, nodded and smiled, and then moved to leave the courtroom.

As I watched him, I became eager to know more about him. I felt that behind his sunny exterior there was a story worth while, a story of obstacles overcome, of large ambitions realized, -in short, a romance.

This man impressed me. "Sheridan Road-automobile-push-cart-fine house." The words flashed through my mind.

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The contrast which they made appealed to me strongly. I felt instinctively that if I did not get this man's story, I should be losing something worth while.

Therefore I followed him. I explained my reason for accosting him, and after he had heard me out, he very graciously consented to tell me the story of his upward climb from poverty and obscurity to fame and fortune.

As I stepped into his automobile and took my place beside him, I launched a question.

"Are you the Peter S. Lambros who is known as the spokesman of the Greeks?"

He nodded; and again his smile broadened, and I felt the warmth of his personality. He was human; evidently his success had not alienated him from his fellow-men.

"Some people call me that," he said modestly, and that was all for the time being.

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I knew now just who and what he was,-the publisher of a large Greek newspaper and a powerful leader among his countrymen.

His fame had extended across the land.

Half an hour later I was sitting with him in his private office, which communicates with the editorial room of his paper, at 130 North Wells street, getting from him the details of his career.

A fine sense of humor has Peter Lambros,-a fine sense of balance. He can see the funny side of things as well as the more serious side.

For example, witness the following story, which he told me as soon as I sat down with him in his office.

Twenty-five years ago a Greek from Sparta landed on Ellis Island, bound for Chicago. He was hard up; he did not even have a watch. Wishing to know the time, he addressed a stranger in Greek.

The stranger, not understanding Greek, passed him by. Soon he spied a Greek, 7but this man had no watch. He pointed to an officer of the law, however, and said,

"See that policeman? Well, just go up to him and say in English, "Time?" and he'll give it to you."

The Greek from Sparta did as he was bidden.

The policeman answered, "One o'clock."

The Greek could not understand English. He repeated his question:

"Time?"

The policeman repeated,

"One o'clock."

"Time?"

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"One o'clock!"

"Time?"

The policeman lost patience. Raising his club, he hit the Greek one whack over the head.

"It just struck one; don't you understand?"

The Greek understood. A broad grin spread over his face, and looking skyward, he muttered,

"Thank God it wasn't twelve o'clock!"

Peter Lambros glanced across his desk at his secretary, a very capable and comely young woman, and saw her smiling at his recital. He smiled himself as he continued:

"Well, that Greek was I."

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And then he proceeded to tell me the rest of his life-story.

Born in Sparta, a town in the southern part of Greece, in 1873, he dreamed early in his life of emigrating to America. While still in college he read an account of Chicago, described by the writer as a village, and of Milwaukee, represented as a large city. He had been given to understand that America was a land of justice, equality, and freedom and also a land which offered opportunities to those who had the ambition to grasp them.

Peter Lambros had intended to cast his lot in Milwaukee, but he did not have sufficient funds to reach that city. Chicago was as far as his money would take him. He liked the Lake City, however, for he saw in it the center of American commerce and industry. Therefore upon his arrival in Chicago he decided, partly perforce, to remain here, and here he has resided ever since.

Being at that time a stranger in the city and having no funds with which to go to night school and learn English, he accepted a position at a fruit-stand on Archer Avenue at the ridiculous salary of seventy-five dollars a year. It was an excellent opportunity, nevertheless, according to Mr. Lambros, for it enabled 10him to learn the language and the customs of his adopted country through personal contact with many different kinds of people. As additional tutors he had the billboards and the newspapers.

"Speaking of learning English reminds me of an experience which I had," Mr. Lambros informed me. "One day I went into a grocery store to buy some eggs. I could not pronounce the word 'eggs'; so I got up on a chair and began to crow and flap my arms like a chicken. The grocer and the other patrons in the store thought that I was crazy; they began to scatter in all directions. And then suddenly I spied a crate of eggs and pointed to it. The grocer understood; he gave me my eggs, and I walked out, leaving the grocer and the other patrons laughing.

"At another time my ignorance of the English language got me into a more serious situation.

"I was on a street-car going north. I wanted to go to Eugenie street. I could not pronounce the name of the street, but I did the best I could. But when I said 'Eugenie' to the conductor, it sounded like 'You sheeny,' and the conductor 11who was Irish, took exception to it.

"He threw me off the car, and the fall knocked me unconscious. But after a while, when I had recovered consciousness, I stopped a passer-by and inquired of him the way to my destination. Again I tried to say 'Eugenie.' He happened to be Jewish. He smiled and answered:

"'Yes, I'm a sheeny. I'm a shyster lawyer,too. Let me lie down beside you, will you?'"

"I made no objection. The man laid down beside me. Later the claim-agent for the street-car company came along and the result was that each of us received a hundred dollars as compensation."

In summer Peter Lambros sold bananas and grapes; in winter he sold chestnuts.

As time went on, he managed to save enough money to buy a stand of his own, and he resigned his position on Archer Avenue.

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He was not very successful in this venture, however, but it gave him a chance to continue his study of people and of the methods by which they did things, and above all it gave him the time to dream and to plan for his future, for he felt instinctively that there were opportunities in America for him as well as for others, and that it would only be a matter of time before he would be on the way to accomplishment.

Because of lack of capital he underwent many hardships. Often he would sleep all night in his fruit-stand. Sometimes he would even sleep standing up, so fatigued was he.

Finally he decided that the time was not ripe for him to remain in business for himself. He gave up his fruit-stand and accepted a position with the commission-house of Garibaldi and Cuneo on South Water street. In time he was promoted to the post of chief salesman. In his eight years of service with this firm, from 1896 to 1904, he managed to save six hundred dollars, a sum regarded in those days as sufficient capital with which to start one's own business.

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"I decided that the day would come when our people, the Greeks, would grow up with the city and become a large and important part of it," Mr. Lambros told me. "And this, I thought, was my opportunity to grow with them.

"I felt that I could best serve my fellow-Greeks in America, as well as my adopted country, by establishing a newspaper. It would serve to bring our people closer together and to promote better business relations and friend-ships among them. Accordingly I established the Greek Star in 1904, and its aim has always been to help preserve the ideals of Washington and Lincoln and to stand for everything that promotes America and Americanism. I desired, you see, to contribute my share to making America greater than I had found it.

"At the beginning of my career as a publisher I was obliged to overcome many obstacles; but I felt that by vigorous and incessant effort and by maintaining the "I Will" spirit I should eventually reach my goal.

"The results have more than repaid me for my faith and my efforts. The Greek 14Star increased in size from four pages to six, eight, ten, and twelve, and now it has sixteen pages, with seventy-five columns of first-class advertisements.

"Being a great believer in constant effort, I always felt that my time could not be divided between work and baseball games; so I devoted myself exclusively to my business. I also believed that time was money and that whatever could be done to-day should not be put off until to-morrow. For the last thirty years I have never used an alarm clock, thought I have risen at half past six every morning."

Peter Lambros has a saying that strikes one as being very original and full of rare good sense. He says:

"I was always proud that I was a Greek; and now I am equally proud that I am an American. He who is a good Greek can become a good American. The man to be feared is not the man who loves two countries but he who loves none."

An admirable saying, is it not?

In order to be successful in business, a man must have faith in himself and in 15his work," Mr. Lambros went on. "For you cannot induce others to entertain your propositions if you do not believe in them yourself.

"And another thing--personality, appearance, cleanliness, clear thought, clear vision, kindness, courtesy, and a pleasant smile are absolutely essential to business success. I know because I have used them to advantage.

"I am reminded of the time when I was elected a director of the Advertising Association. I had been defeated three times by another man, a bigger man than I am, but because of my consideration for my fellow-members and my devotion to the cause I was finally elected by a large, majority, for I had won the confidence and the friendship of my colleagues."

I asked Mr. Lambros to tell me something about his financial success.

"After accumulating a neat sum of money through my newspaper, I erected a two-story building," he told me. "When that began to pay, I put up another two-story building. Then I sold both buildings for twenty thousand dollars. Since then I have erected a fine house at 7720 Sheridan Road. Some Americans imagine 16that the Greek ambassador to the United States resides in this magnificent house.

"And that reminds me of a story. The other day a farmer stopped in front of my door, and seeing me standing outside,he asked me who lived there. I told him that it was the residence of the night-watchman of Calvary Cemetery, where-upon he wanted to know how a night-watchman could manage to make enough money to own so beautiful a house. I replied that I had not the slightest idea how he could do so.

"The farmer became very serious now, and in a subdued tone of voice he said,

"Well, I know how he did it all right. The night-watchman in a cemetery in my town has grown rich by taking jewelry and gold teeth from the dead.'

"Well, let's see; what were we talking about? Oh yes; my financial success! Well, as I went along in business, I bought four lots in Evanston where the Evanston golf links had been situated, and these four lots proved to be a very profitable investment. In addition to that I bought six lots at Robey and 17Richwood streets in Rogers Park, where I intend to build a $250,000 apartment building.

"And now I should like to show you something."

Mr. Lambros produced a number of scrapbooks, which he prized highly. He opened them and showed me what they contained.

A wealth of clippings and letters, the former printed in English and cut from hundreds of newspapers in many parts of this country, the latter received from the most prominent men, among them Theodore Roosevelt and the late President Harding. All these articles and letters praise the patriotic work which Peter Lambros has done in fostering Americanism, for he has been not only an excellent businessman intent upon his own welfare but an earnest worker for the public good as well.

One of the clippings that the showed me was the copy of an article written by him and published in a Chicago newspaper on Sunday, Feb. 11, in the present 18year. The article, which occupies almost an entire page, appears under the headlines: "Torch of Democracy Kindled by Pericles --Borne to Triumph by American Lincoln."

This article created quite a stir, not only in Chicago but also in a score or more of other cities. 30 great was the effect produced by it that as soon as it was published, its author was asked to make a speech at the Hamilton Club on the following day, which was Lincoln's Birthday. We accepted the invitation, and his speech was broadcast over the country by radio and published in all the newspapers which subscribe to the Associated Press, of which there are hundreds.

The inspiration for the article in question came to Mr. Lambros in his perusal of Lincoln's Gettysburg address. He is well versed in Greek history, and in reading the address he was reminded that Pericles, an Athenian general and statesman, had delivered the first world-famous funeral oration in 431 B.C. Lincoln's was the second.

"I felt instinctively that the great American's address was a masterpiece among 19orations," Mr. Lambros assured me. "My purpose in writing the article was to emphasize but one thought, and that was that Greece was the originator of democracy, and America is the perfecter of it.

"Pericles delivered his funeral oration four hundred years before Christ. It was a masterpiece. And in all the time which passed since then no panegyric equal to that of Pericles had been pronounced until Lincoln delivered his Gettysburg address.

It took a great American to compose such an oration, and it was delivered on a like occasion, over the graves of those who had sacrificed their lives for the sake of liberty and democracy."

The article which Mr. Lambros wrote was designed to do two things: to bring about a better understanding between native Americans and naturalized Americans, particularly those of Greek extraction, and to inspire patriotism and a new interest in American ideals and institutions.

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To enumerate all the things which Peter Lambros has done for his adopted country would require at least half the pages of this magazine.

In the World War he was active in the National Security League and in the State Council of Defense. He was too old to shoulder arms, but he felt that the man who stayed at home could and should serve his country just as much as the man in the blue or Khaki uniform. As a member of the executive commitee of the State Council of Defense he proposed the organization of the so-called foreign nationalities. His suggestion was unanimously accepted, and he went ahead with the organization.

In looking over the city for the purpose of identifying all the nationalities in Chicago he found that seventy-five nations were represented among the residents of the city. Choosing guests from all these nationalities, he planned a banquet and rally in honor of the Stars and Stripes, to be given at the Hotel La Salle.

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He invited President Wilson to attend, but the President sent the Secretary of State, Bainbridge Colby, in his stead. The banquet was a huge success and a phenomenon among those of its kind, for seventy-five different nationalities were represented in one big gathering. A great deal of space in the Chicago morning papers was devoted to the affair, and people talked about it for many months afterward.

On another and later occasion a great meeting was held in Chicago of the editors of foreign-language newspapers.

Peter Lambros presided at this meeting, and he thought that it would be well to have Governor Lowden make the principal address.

It is characteristic of him that he went all the way to Springfield to extend the invitation to the Governor.

However, at the executive mansion he was told by the Secretary that he would have to wait a while before he could have Audience with Governor Lowden. There-upon Mr. Lambros told the Secretary that he was the Greek ambassador to the 22United States, but that he was traveling incognito. The secretary accepted his fabrication without question and at once ushered him into the inner sanctum, where he was met and cordially greeted by the Governor, who laughed heartily over the fact that Peter Lambros had been able to circumvent the subordinate.

The Governor forthwith accepted the invitation extended by Lambros and delivered and address at the meeting. This was the first public speech made by Governor Lowden after his inauguration.

All this demonstrates that Peter Lambros has an eye for opportunity, and that when opportunity does not actually come knocking at his door threatening to break it in, he goes after it, seizing it with both hands and making it serve him according to his needs. He is a great believer in opportunity and takes it wherever and whenever he finds it.

"It is rather difficult for me to give you full details regarding my activities during the last thirty years in Chicago," said Mr. Lambros in conclusion. "As the days go by I feel that my success began as a dream which was realized by 23my adoption of the 'I Will' spirit and my determination to better myself in order to be of service to my wife, my four children, my fellow-Americans, my fellow-Greeks, and the community as a whole.

"As a poet one said, 'I slept and dreamed that life was beauty; I woke and found that life was duty.'

"I have given to my adopted country thirty years of my life and four children who are thorough Americans; I have employed honest business methods; I have grasped opportunity; and I have contributed a large share of my time and my efforts to the promotion of a Greater America.'"