Mr. Consul,

I am sure that my letters must give you much pleasure, and so now I shall keep the promise which I made in my last letter; I am going to write about the Arabs in Chicago.

There, Mr. Consul! I hope that you will judge impartially what I shall modestly indite. And so, Mr. Consul, a few years ago there was a small colony of Arabs at the northeast corner of Polk and Canal streets in this city. I must admit that they were much better civilized than the Italians both hygienically and morally, for in my walks through that neighborhood, on weekdays and Sundays, I could not help noticing the neat and clean appearance of the men and the women. The elegance of their dress and their clean houses attracted the admiration of all passersby. Do I make myself clear, Mr. Consul? Very well! Two blocks away from the Arabs lived then andlive now our highly civilized Italian compatriots, of that race which is now trying to bestow its civilization on Lybia and Tripoli, and I think that it 2would be very interesting to compare the two races and to determine which has the greater need of being civilized.

The following facts are a matter of common knowledge. When it comes to dirt and filth the Italian is unsurpassed, and I am well acquainted with a number of families that are, to say the least, disgusting. I shall describe one family which was known to me personally because it was from my native province of Calabria, the Africa of Italy. My friend, the master of the house, an honest and sober worker, had a four-room flat which sheltered him, his wife, two daughters, and five boarders. Other occupants were six rabbits which left their feces all over the house. Under the bed in the living-room were piled old shoes and rags which the wife and daughters had picked up in the streets and alleys, and which were to be used for fuel in the coming winter.

The description of this family would fit thousands of others.

And so, Mr. Consul, can you who have been to Africa, say that you have seen anything to compare with this? I am sure that you have not. Everyone knows that these conditions are found only among us. Further than that, the less said about our blood feuds, the better. In regard to religious superstition one needs to live in the Italian quarter in order to see the nauseating spectacle of the indecent peasantry which with its lousy saints and madonnas is the laughing-stock of Americans.

And who is to blame for these conditions? The Italian Government and the House of Savoy, which in fifty years have done nothing but create misery and misfortune. Furthermore, do you know that in this country there is no one who bothers himself about these unfortunate countrymen of ours?

I suppose that you would be glad to have me stop writing these letters. Very well, in my next letter I shall tell you how to stop them.

Meanwhile I salute you. Believe me your friend and love.

Giuseppe Orrico.