Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 15.djvu/402

 388 THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY

care for her after her husband's death if she is left without means. The result of this training is that "the sacred tradition that brothers must see their sisters settled in life before they themselves marry" ® has become well established.

Considering their eastern traditions and training the Greek women adapt themselves very quickly to American customs. A Greek Woman's Club has been meeting at Hull House once a week during the past year and a Greek Women's Philanthropic Society has recently been formed there by the more prosperous who expect to help in various ways the unfortunate members of their colony. This charitable organization is eagerly encouraged by the men for the Greeks, although extremely shrewd in their business dealings, are at the same time generous. They give liberally to one another in times of sickness or unemployment. On Tag Day for the children's charities of the city the wometi reaped a good profit in the Greek stores and coffee-houses on Halsted Street. When three small Greek children were left with- out homes it was not difficult to find Greek families in the neigh- borhood of Hull House who were willing to receive and care for them temporarily or indefinitely if that seemed for the best interest of the children.

Unlike the Italian women they do not work outside their own homes or at sweatshop work. Out of the 246 Greek women and girls over fifteen who were visited in the investigation only five were found to be at work. This is not alone because the Greek man usually succeeds in business but because he considers it a disgrace for his wife or sister to work and the entire family often suffers that this tradition that "the women must not work" may be upheld. An example of this came to the attention of the League for the Protection of Immigrants this spring. A Gredc man about twenty-five years old sent his brother-in-law who was ill with tuberculosis back to Athens. His sister and her two children, both old enough to attend school, were left in Chicago. The sister was able to work but this her brother would not con- sider. Although he had a very small income, he rented a flat

'Economic Journal, June, 1908, p. 309. Quotation from a lecture by Pro- fessor A. W. Andreades, of the University of Athens.