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About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (June 9, 1918)
TIIE SUNDAY OREGOXIAN, PORTLAND. JUNE 9, 1918. ae USu. iVc& Kronies, Greek Fruit Vender Who Had Been "Moved On 99 by the Police, Proved by Splendid Heroism in Battle What America Will Owe to Her Foreign Born Ml M t etc l j i t f i i r Nick Kronies Was Just a New York Banana Pedler Be fore lie Enlisted. BT W. B. 8EABROOIC Of the American Field Ambulance Berries In France. The story of bow America' foreign born people have rallied to the cause of freedom In the great war has not yet been written. Eventually It will rorm a glorious page In history. It will tell how Greeks. Slavs, He. brews, who had found safe sanctuary In the New World, rushed back Into the European conflagration, even be fore the United States declared war, to fight, and die if need be, for the biethren they had left behind. It will tell how they later stood shoulder-to-shoulder with khaki-clad Anglo-Saxons in the volunteer and draft array, and how, in the final great melt ingf pot test, they came out pure gold. Meanwhile It is only through stories of Individual achievement that the pub lic can glimpse the racial epics that will be written later. Word has 5ust come from Franca of how Nick Kronies, a little pushcart peddler from Twenty-thtrd street. New York, has become one of the Immortal heroes of Verdun. The humble Greek fruit vendor whom the traffic cops used to hustle across the street under the Third avenue "I" baa been kissed on both cheeks by an admiring French general, and now wears on his breast the "croix de guerre" with the palm leaves that mean citation in the presence of an entire army. Humble Career ef Ntcft Kronies. Nick's full name is Nicholas John Karagianakapoulos, but that doesn't make any difference. The name that will go down to fame is plain Nick Kronies. He was born in Mistra, Sparta, about 20 years ago, in a neighborhood made famous by tb"e heroes of Thermopylae and Marathon. His father and mother, Spartans both, came to America with their little son a number of years ago, to struggle for a living. Nick was a shy, dark-haired boy, who played with the other children in the streets of the East Side. At night bis mother read to him the old legends of Agamemnon and Hector, so that be g: sw up with a warrior's heart. Although he had to leave school to help support his family, taking any humble sort of Job until he finally got a little banana cart of bis own, his mother never let him forget be was a Spartan. i Knew, mu en better than any American-born schoolboy, the story of bow Leonldaa and his immortal 300 l.eld the pass against the Persian hordes, and bow bis followers died to a man because they were Spartans, though it was counted no disgrace for the other Greek troops to retreat. And so, when the great war came, It found Nick Kronies selling bananas on the East Side, but it also found him dreaming of Sparta and the old heroes. Away baek in 1914, long before America awakened to the call, his heart sensed that France was fighting the battles of humanity and freedom. Did his parents try to discourage himT Pld they talk of the so-called practical things of life and try to per suade him to continue selling bananas? Did they remind him that he might be killed and leave them desolate in their old age? They, too, were Spartans. They kisted hit curly head and helped him raise the money to go to France, and when he sailed away there was a light In their eyes that tears could not dim Nick enlisted in the Foreign Legion. For throe years he fought bravely, but he was still one of the unknown millions. Then his great chance came. His legion had been thrown Into one of the most desperate sectors at Ver dun to win back terrain that had been taken by the Germans. As his regiment charged toward the German trenches, enemy re-inforce-ments were brought Into play and the French troops, outnumbered ten to one, were forced back. The officers In his company were killed. A Hun barrage was dropped behind them and they found themselves cut off, German shells behind them, Ger man machine guns and bayonets In front. It so happened that there were three more Greek volunteers in Nick's squad. Crouching together In a shell hole, they awaited what seemed certain death. What memories may have flashed through Nick's mind at that moment. no en knows, but an Instant after ward, with a shout that was heard above the din of battle, the young Greek leaped from cover and rushed toward the German trenches. His three companions followed at his heels. Another moment and the remnants of the entire company were behind them. And then, for 160O yards, up Nick Kronies, One of the Real Heroes of the War, Wearing the Badge of His Glory. hind, and I down the lines, other members of the Foreign Legion, seeing what was about to happen, dashed after their comrades. They thought they were all going to certain death, but the fortunes of war are always with the brave. Here, in the language of the official army report. Is what happened: "Kronies (Nick), legionnaire. Elev enth company de Marche, Foreign Le gion elite grenadier; 10th August, 1917, won the admiration of all his com rades by his courage and contempt for danger. Led his comrades to the con quest of a trench which was defended with energy and which was captured along a distance of 1600 yards after several hours of bloody hand-to-hand combat: took, single-handed, nutnerou prisoners.. Already twice cited In army orders." It takes personal news a long tlm to travel to America from the Foreign Legion, and it was only this Sprin that Mama and Papa Kronies, still con ducting their little fruit store on the East gide. received from the postman letter bearing a French stamp m4 marks showing It had been opened by the censors. In It was a picture postcard ef their boy. In the uniform of a legionnaire, on his breast shone the palm leaves and the cross. Nick said little In his letter about hie exploits, but he told his parents that he was still alive and well, and was about to be transferred from the For eign Legion to become a volunteer la an American regiment. The story of how he won the war cross was learned In detail later. through letters sent by others to a Greek newspaper In New Tork. Nick's mother and father are proudly showing the photograph to their friends at neighboring fruit stands and candy stores, and to the ympathetla cop on the beat. The former banana peddler has be come a hero. Nick Kronies etory Is given In deta'.l because It happens to be known. But If one were able to go Into thousands of other Greek fruit stores and restau rants and candy shops from one end of America to the other, he would hear of many similar heroes whose exploits are unknown to the general public. Many Vaaamed Keren. Nicholas Kaska. member of a well. known Athenian family, who came te America, was one of the first men to die In Alsaoe-Lorralne; Demetrius O. Hadjldakls, from San Francisco, was one of the first men to oe eeriouaiy wounded with Pershing's troops In France; Pavlos Skuropulos, Nicholas Chrlstu and scores of others are among the Greek names one flnde In the lists of wounded. Among the Slavs and Poles, that oth er great element among America's foreign-born population, the response has been equally herloo. Among the Hebrews, one would have to go back to the Old Testament days and the wars of Maccabees to find esses of parallel heroism. Their re sponse hss been the more magnificent because the Jews for msny generations have not been a martial people. For centuries, with few exceptions, the mil itary uniform and the sword have been the symbols of oppression for the Jew ish people. Tet now, when the sword Is drawn for the cause of liberty, they, too, have learned to wield It. Records from the front and from the training camps show that they have made good soldiers. That the Italians, French and British element of Americans foreign popula tion have done their duty in the war la equally and heroically true, but Is taken more as a matter of fact, as their own home countries are directly involved. Th srest thin a Is that all foreign- born American element, barring only enemy aliens, have Jolnea sponse to the call. i: t ta in the r- SPRING ARRIVES AND BIRDS CAROL IN ENGLAND AS THOUGH PEACE RULED ALL Perfume of Growing Things Seems Sweeter Than Before Fratricidal Struggle Engaged Europe Lusty Voice of Birds Outrivaled by Prone of Airplanes. BT EDITH E. LANYON. NOMEWHERB IN ENGLAND. 16. (Special.) Spring Is here In U earnest and the scent of the air Is delicious with the perfume of young buds and the tender green of the trees. When I opened the front door to go to the hospital yesterday morning a delightful whiff of this scented air greeted me. Never before have I no ticed that it was so sweet. The birds sing lustily as soon as It Is light, trying to 'outrival the noise of the airplane engines, but the big battle planes can outdo the birds. When a "sausage" airship went over our heads the other day an old lady was heard to remark contentedly that "the men roust have a nice lot ef room in that one," On questioning it ap peared that she imagined the men oc cupied roomy quarters in the gas bag! When she heard that they had to be satisfied to ride In the basket she was quite disgusted. Another dear old lady ef 13, who lives In an almshouse, walked, two and a half miles in to town to put a shilling In the tank to help en the war funds. Some sensible official added enough te her shilling to get her a bond, and she went home delighted. The shilling was all she could afford to give. Some old ladies are very up te date. One told me with gusto the other day that she was out with a friend for walk and a man in an airplane let down a telephone to them and said; "How do you do?" She felt she ought to say something, so she nonchalantly called back. "Can I come up and nave I tea with your' She was greatly amused , because the airman promptly replied: "res. ir you bring your own sugar. with you." 9 w m I went over the Red Cross work rooms here laet week and was really surprised to see how much the workers accomplish. They make all sorts ef hospital sup plies, from bandages to slippers for trench feet. One evening a week the seout beys go there to clean and resole the worn hospital slippers, and do it beautifully. All the workers wear white overalls and bead vails. Just as I expect they do In America, When they asked me to give them any bints or suggestions, I advised them not to pin the ends of the ban dages with safety pins, as they are apt to go rusty and. ruin the bandages as well as become useless themselves. This is because sometimes the stores are In a damp place or go to a damp climate. This hint may be of value to ether workers unless they are sure the safety pins are rustless. It is not that we do not appreciate safety pins. . No nurse ever did, will or can own enough safety pins or matches. I regret to say that a nurse will even beg safety .pins from her pa tients comfort bags. I also begged them, to be sure, and make the sleeping suits out of pretty materials, because the men de like nice oolors. Pale blue and lavender seemed to be the popular oolors In the navy. Pink came a bad third. On clean laundry days the "up and outs" used to hurry back to the ward to secure a desirable set. The first man baek had first choice tarter the bed patients were fitted out by nurse), and usually rejoiced In large pale blue and white stripes or lavender If ue were of a dark complexion. The late comers as a rule got nice, durable gray ones, much to their cha grin. I always insisted on the dura bility of the gray ones, and "they're so soft and warm and nice," I would say to some big baby of an A. B. who wanted a pretty blus suit. I remember one naughty man who polished up the deck ae he called the ward floor) with his durable grays. He certainly got a gorgeous shine on that floor with the help of "Ronuk," his pajamas, and much elbow grease; put the fleet surgeon took the shine out of him when his crime was discovered. Hts deferred pay was docked the price of that perfectly good sleeping suit. One of the tragedies of hospital life. I see by the newspaper that Princess Mary, who has just oome of age, is commandant of a voluntary aid detach ment at Buckingham Palace with 1 members. Since last July she has passed her two first exams, oral, writ ten and practical, and now holds cer tificates in first aid and nursing. She spends three mornings a week at Devonshire House as a V. A. D. worker. I wonder if she is as sick of the sight of that little brown book of first aid as I am. I feel as tr I should froth at the mouth if I had it all to read up again. There are no new developments on the food question excepting that we are to be allowed to buy five pounds of ham for two meat coupons, but are to be allowed less butcher's meat. As each person is to be allowed the privilege of storing up CO eggs for Winter use (if they can secure them), ham and eggs are surely looming in the near future. That ordinary bought jam combined with an equal weight of fresh cooked rhubarb and cooked together for 10 minutes will make a very edible jam without the addition of an extra grain of precious sugar Is our latest discov ery. There Is a rumor that we are to be rationed on doge next. I do not mean that we are to be fed on them In the form of sausages, but that people are not to be allowed to keep so many. The rule is to be "One house one dog." Dog biscuits are scarce and it Is now against the law to feed dogs on food fit for humans. There is to be an effort made to preserve the lives of pedigreed dogs whenever possible, a I have had several letters from the U. S. troops In France. The universal opinion seems to be that Uncle Sam'a men have everything they need at present. The chaplain from Portland, speak ing of woollies, sensibly remarks: "It Is neither possible nor desirable to lay up against a cold or rainy day." I have already alluded to "rust" and no doubt "moth" would be only too glad to corrupt our nice knitted things If they get half a chance. So I will keep the surplus ones under my per sonal supervision until they are needed. In the meantime, I am replacing amongst our own men the things de stroyed In the recent fighting by mud, blood and shrapnel. One of the men who was badly wounded Is now home on leave and I am giving htm another Portland sweater to replace the one he had be fore, which was destroyed In action. My leading torpedoman, grateful patient, has got somewhere at last. but his uninformlng address Is still "rare the general postofflce. London." He is evidently able to "give Johnny Turk a few pills to let htm know wo haven't forgotten him" from that an chorage at the general postofflce, Lon don. That must even outdistance the big guns the Huns use on Paris. Of his further doings and adventures en route, my sailor says: "Dear Nurse: I would like to tell you of some of the sights I have seen on my way out. but that must be left for another day, as the censor would not allow It." So there you are. Bother the censor. My big soldier continues In his ex cellent health and varies things by re marking in his letter of today: "Dear Nurse: I hope you haven't got cooking to do In your hospital." Think, of the eggs he is not there to boil for me, I suppose. I did make a cup of cocoa for some body today, too. I have an idea that his unknown station Is very near my sailor boy's unknown waters. They do not even know each other, so unless they get to comparing hospitals and nurses some time I shall never know If they meet. We have several nice boys from 11 to 14 years old as patients at the in firmary. One of them was badly hurt in a colliery accident. Although his dressing is a most painful one, he never even groans whilst It Is being done. He is a brave boy with a brave name. Our boys' taste In literature runs to "comic cuts" and such, like funny papers. I took them each one to amuse them the other day, and the smallest boy politely inquired how much he owed me. When in his usual health he is a newsboy. A Mrs. Slack informed me yesterday that 1 had got her bandage too tight. It sounded awfully funny when I re ported: "Sister, Mrs. Slack says her bandage Is too tight." All the patients laughed, which did them good. Another bandage played me a Joke In the theater. I put my hand in my apron pocket to get something out In a hurry, my finger caught on the end of a rolled up narrow bandage con ceeled there, and out it came with my hand, yarde and yards and yards of It. . all over the place. I got thoroughly tangled up In it and it looked just like the paper ribbons coming out of a eonjurer'a hat. The othere looked as . If they would not have been surprised . to sse a white rabbit or some goldfish, appearing next. Mathematical Sense Through Play. As soon as a child understands the meaning of numbers he can begin to measure accurately; and ha likes to do it. Playing store is the Ideal way of leading a child to an understanding often lacking in a grown-up person. Concerns which sell school supplies provide, at popular prices, a bslance scale weighing up to four pounds, a dry measure set such as hucksters use. a set of bright tins for measuring liquids, and a box of toy money. Add. to this a yardstick and a pair of blunt scissors and your equipment is com plete. Use the dry measures just after the lawn has been mowed so you can have th , fresh-cut grass for spinach. A 4-year-old can handle as much as a -bushel basket of this becsuse it is so light. Use sand for sugar, blocks or pebbles for potatoes, water for vinegar, and so on. Colored string or paper ribbon can be sold by the yard, and colored paper by the square foot. After the play store comes the real store. Thoughtful mothers will plan : errands for the children with a view to their carrying home th articles purr chased and producing the proper change. This is a Joy to the child and an excellent method of co-operating with the school teacher Maude Barnes Miller in the Mother's Magaxine for June. Pure block sugar or maple sugar is a more wholesome form of sweets than candy.