Greeks in America - eBooks4Greeks.gr

94 THE GREEKS IN AMERICAand to surround them with better influences, withproper social environment, pure amusements andinnocent entertainments.RELATION TO OTHER RACIAL GROUPSFriendly to other races.—Greeks are usuallyfriendlyand on good terms with representatives ofother races. Political questions and collisions ofviews and interests have created a mutual antagonismbetween Greeks, Albanians, and Bulgarians,and Turks. They cannot work together amicably.In normal times they can all get along well. Thereare many cases of strong friendship and attachmentbetween individuals from these various groups mentionedas antagonistic. Greeks from Turkey areoften on very good terms with the Turks, when theymeet in this country, especially those coming fromthe same region. War, however, upsets all conditions,destroys best friendships, and creates bitteranimosities. Albanians and Greeks were veryfriendly until foreign intrigues separated them.Should those intrigues stop,Greeks and Albanianscan adjust their differences, and may even form astrong alliance. There are many Albanians inGreece, and some of the most prominent, patrioticcitizens of Greece were of Albanian descent.Esteemed by Americans.—Greeks are held generallyin good esteem by Americans and other races.There have been, however, exceptions, especiallyyears ago when a mostly ignorant and low type ofGreeks, only, were known to a great many Americans.Greeks had a rather low standing. Also,owing to the elasticity of the meaning of Greek,menabers of the Greek Church of other races beingalso called Greek, often crimes and offenses of Bulgarians,Albanians, Eumanians and other races,even Turks, were ascribed to Greeks.