Document text
,.ugust 40, 1939.
Dennis Potines (Geeok)
Proprietor,
Rooter's Oafe,
Oathedral Place,
.tugustine, Florida.
Rose Shepherd, Writer.
DINNV,POTTNOE',
It Wad four o'clook on a hot tInclay afternoon, then
the polite oashier of Reotor's Gafe in aristocratic
,;athedral Place smilingly stated that 19. Dennis Patinae,
head of the Greek Oommunity in ;A. ,,.ugustins, and proprietor
of Rector's Oaf., had stopped out ior 4 short timo.
"He'll be back by fivo always hare by that time, it
you return."
r‘t b p. m. the residents of 6t. augustine, the transient
vibitors to the old ,:atholio Outhedral next door the oldest
institution of its kind in tho oldest city of the United
historic) ;A. AugUstines wero ailing into Rector's
for 1.hoir /Toning meal.
Aeutor's Oaf.) spooialises in shrimp, fish, oysters,
the bueiness oard states "The Original seafood Platters
Uooked to the King's Tuate."
Mr. Potinos arose from a small table at the rear of the
rletaurunt where ho Lad Leen enjoying a-uigaretto and a op
of blaa coffee, atid oamo lorward, oxtondiwT his hand
a lame hand from a stiff arm, hangiw: almost limp from a
low shoulder arid said oordially We sit here at
this front table, by the window."
if by magio, three oups of gaffee appeared, und a
large mohtroq was plaued at 1.1r. Potimost left hand, with a
paokage of imported, fragrant 01:garottes.
411111.
26070
Dennis YOtinos L.
A system of air condition ititIAL•11 tho restaurant especially
inviting after driving around for an hour on the broiling
streets, with little or no bruise during the waning afternoon.
Averything was spotless. The tables sixty of them were spread with long shite cloths with attractive Persian
gourd-shaped patterns in brilliant **lore of red and green,
shaded into soft henna and yellow. The top Olotkot removed
aftor each dinar, were stiffened white linen.
There was no noise. The Greek waiters in Tuxedos glided
in and out among the tables, listening quietly, and writing
rapidly, when an order was given. There was no odor of *oat
siokening
cooking, and no/smell of smothered burning of shrilly hulls,
aortas the case a. little farther down the street in the same
block, where cold drinks had Inen ordered in an effort to
combat the heat.
.The walls were wainscoted up six feet with embossed
imitation panish-looking leather wallpaper; above that a
double white tile -like border, then the soft green tinted
walls to the lofty ceiling. The floor was of email hexagon
shaped block tile, laid in an intricate pattern in brown and
white. The chairs were heavy, dark drawn, Spanish type, and
the cashier's desk of brown walnut with high brass grille.
Iverywhers an air of repose, elegance, and refinement.
In front of us, facing the long plate glass window, we
a remarkable collection of coral from Florida waters the
feathery fens, the tell, sprangled "trod some pink, some
white and at the end of the oenuret• basin the setting
for native ferns, wee a long shark's jaw with polished,
murderous teeth.
Dennis Potinos .3.
"Whore did I ‘;et the attraotive tableuloths? Mileage.
41 year in november now, it vill be, and ma.L.y, ties
they /Lima n -ono to the }6,andry, but still like new."
rath'r aan, he is iresod in a light *eight
gray suit, with shirt of two colors of blue stripes, a, soft
oollar with black strin,...: tie, and presents a moat dignified
atpearanue vvith his quiet bearing, hie dreamy, enlougated
frruy ayes, his hair blaok and slightly graying, parted in
the milli".
"You waL.t my story? It ill 143 low; vJry long.
was bora on the Island of ithaoa. On the map? Here it
is, to the est of 'Ireeoe, proper, in the Adriatic betlt.e.r.
rIreecte und Italy. It is spelled just the 84E13 as Ithaca.,
in :iew York state. The town of my people whe e I Vaal bOrIA
is the searort, 1phi. The town 114...s normal population
of 6,000, the hol Li, 16,000.
"The ca imia e1 a 1,ot tropical, -it iv about like that
of North aeorgia. There are hiRth mountains all about, ant
in the winter .hre he vi snows.
'There are ma4.4 beaut:.fal flowers and olive trees,
and on the mountain sides ge nit vineyeads, all kirsis of leap's."
4r. Patinas speaks with t.. wall modulated voio es slurs
his ale, lengthens his its, .a.d cat .Lms to the long word' by
stringing oat the ebellables, oontinentz:1 fashion. His abaolint
is deoided2.y Prenoh, whic.sh he speaks fluently.
"There .re 710 luzge farms thero, }:ere just gardens
like, where the farmers raise pienq of vegetables.
"The harbor of Baphi* where 1was born, lies in a valley.
Dennis Potinos 4.
"It is quite low, surrounded by mountuins ill rou4.
The groves of olive traos zct tha vineyurds ure muny and
*hd prossed-out olivo oil unl tho wine make the incomp of
more than half the inhubitants." (He pronounced. it
Is
"Tho .i:;arbor of Daphiu is so picturesque told so lieuutifsli
°on) into the he..rbor front, you sail between two noun
tins, iou suil up towards the eity you see nothing
nothing but
blue 'tutor.
of the town
the moutuins on thrvaide, aLd tho sky, mind the
J,fter entar the buy in vilieh the hurbor is
of Buphi‘, the mouutuins rise in stops und tiers
rhich loud doWn to the vulley. If Au look around from tile
ship" -(he pronnunood it
do not reoognise the wr
deep ,n4 big lin:)re 00010
over tha rorld.
"Betweon thl islund
ciNaly by smal
siiin-
'sbe'-ep")9'ou soon lost like, you
c.,mo in. The hurbor is very
ro•z.diurly, nd freighters from 6,11
und iho inlia ontact is prin-
vessels, owned aTIA oporuted by
lrooks, bringing ovr '.t.rocaries, yurd .Toosis, und other sup-
plias. ,dso there are extensive mail
aontinent, und to L.1-_tL islunds.
"To take tha oaeun-3.oing vessels,
outoh itounier from liwthia to Putrue,
oonneotions from tbm
it is neuessury to
on the peliopenieue.
They h.Ava not yot uirpluno aorvioe, but probably will l‘ter,
thoy .re vary ?re3rof:,eivo.
Dennis Potinos S.
"The sustenance (living) of the people in from the
visitors to the island from outside of Oreeoe and from the
workmen the main industry is ship -building and from
the sailors on the liners and freighters.
"For instanoe, the inhabitants of Greeoe own about
fifty ocean-going steamers, mastereano*CmantedWininety
peroont by residents of Ithaoa from the master (oaptaini-
am= to the ordinary speaman, dookmen and loaders.
"Many visitors acme to the Island of Ithaca in ships
from South 4-Lfrioa, the britieh possessions of Indio, Sgypt,
A.ustralia, wad from iatorisa, South 4imeriea, from Roumania,
also from Arnssia. The money they leave goes to the people
who live and work there.
"The island ships olive oil and wine to ports all over
Sump unA other oountries where it is in demand.'
"Russia, before the Dolshevie dominance, and the over-
throw of the Orthodox Churoh of the old country, used oil
from our part of Grottoes for illumination of the ohurdhes and
in their homes.
"The people look for money a groStdeul from the visitors,
the same as ilorida caters to winter tourists.
"Ithaca is also historic. While I still lived there
many archeological exoavations hud been made; expeditions
and scientists earning from various parts of the world, to
study the scenes that were referred to in Romer for instance,
the home of Ulysses, and iha parts pertuining to his life in
Ithaca,
Dennis Yetines Y.
"In Ithaea, I mm thiankful to say, eleotrio lights have
been installed by one of our pahtreeets (patriots) very
rioh ship owner. Eis Nain o fatMlisitrttgactititlitYd.
"Ithaoa, by the way, has produoed more patriots/than
perhaps of 4.11i other seution, who huve been spending their
none4, l'or the national expression of Graeae." (That is,
that Greeee night take her place among t -a nations of the
world as a modern, up-to-date untry).
"Ithaca 4urin4 the war of the Revolution 1821 to
1829 the time when the Island was under the Anglish
flag, beeame the home of the refugeis from Greet*. The
hordes came down, swarming over the oountry like swvagss,
and the people had to leave their pursuits and possessions
and flee ior their lives. Ithsoa and the othlr islands
helped to house, oaring for them also with money, provisione,
and elothings all neeessities.
"During the igio Messoalanto,wali the time lord Byron was
helping the poor siok ohildren, who were vietims of the siege.
Lord Byron visited Italy, steying there for some tine, when
he was entertained in the larger attic's.
"Ithaea is a part of the Ionia Islands ceded to Groat
Britian after liapolson's Leath, and it stayed under British
rule uutii 1864 or 1866 when ngland donated the Islands
to become a purt of Ireace by the demand of the inhabitants
and the new Prince of Denmark, King George I, who ruled
Graeae.
Donnie Potinos 8.
"In the Issas Islands the pure Greek language is al-
ways spoken. The islands have 11,41h blessed by God never
oonquerored by the Ottoman rule. *bile Turks oompied the
Balkans and north an fur as Vienna, ,,ustria never were they
=dor
able to take the islands, oven id= the Duke of Vienna, who
had a mi4;hty power at sea God proteoted the islands.
General
"The present diotator of Creeeei *nazis, was born in
Ithaoa. :ant latoly i road in a Greek newspaper that he
had asked a Greek eduoator (profet.sor) to writs thu history
of the Ionia Islands from prehistorie times, and, bolieve
me, I mu eagerly waiting for its publication.
"There are may churches in the Islands, all oi the
Orthodox Greek, and all undor the administration of one
Greek Bishop.
"The unit of mousy is tha draehma, value and like the
Preneh franc), about fivu cants in iJaariuu.n money. But there
in so much shipping that we reokon vreight in ounces, pounds,
bushels, the same as in ngland or -meriea. It is different
in continental Gr400e.
"I game to the United 6tutes tweuty-eight yours ago, in
1911. I went first to Georgia, living four years in awes.,
and eleven years in blaokshear, Georgia.
"I was in business in Blackshear all Ny years there. I
owned a restaurant there and a fruit store. ;was rated in
tooth Dun's and Bradstreet's Commercial Register. Then I
sold my business ut a nice profit and cams to Florida in 192b.
Dennis Potinos 9.
"I bought this restaurant and have beet: here over eines.
The Lull before me iave it the 111019 of Rector's, and I just
oontinued under th.t name. it w s all plaue when I
took it over. I have enlarP:ed the oapacity, improved the
service, extende4 the menu, until now the cafe has a nationa
reputation. I am proud to ei.y, most prou, that Reuter's
is re:;arded ..s one of the lest retatauraaits in Florida. I
oreeelalize in seafood:a.'"
Returning a.40.in in thought to his beloved Island of
Ithaca, ha :ontinued:
"No eol,i .itori.it) there. Meat was only kV iilable once
or twice a w mk, fresh killed, but every day there was fine
fresh fish. Th3 fishing boats ret out in the morning ..nd
retuzn)i t night, when the people went down to the Lliark.et
pl,..aes and seleoted their fish fresh from the salt waters
and most times alive yet.
"There were no cows o the ieleald. The milk used came
from l'oats. They thrived on the hillsides on th) monut.1.4.ni.
;s*irse of the rooky soil, haid thetr milk is good au.1 rieh, free
from tuberculosis qc,erMe.
"Once SOLI`011el brouht in abut hundred oe‘ttle, but they
were kept, as you say, in a eon fattening until ready te kill.
"The beef foe the coneuription of the islands came from
the sections north of Greece, especially the Spirus. It was
from here that the oattle were brouirht iii ;And Itittened like
I eay. There is scete ”ork on t ho i al ant, but sry little, as
the roonle gen)rally do not like pork, and .o not cat it. They
°onside: a pig a dirty ani al, not tit as food.
Dennis Potinos 10.
"In the spring, in f4ot most of tha year,they have
lambs, 4/4 la the sumirar the doung kids. Zuster week
everybodj buys a lamb ALA bartagJOS it. Most of them ire
cooked at home. good wuny, like VPO families who are
good naiihbors, burbooss together. The homes have brick,
built-in ovens, with a part the' build u fire under like a
furnuue with u grate, und this e *hare they burbsons.
"'then 4 lived there, only earthen vessels were used
tv cook in, with oeuasienully a cooker of tin coated with
copper.
"There were tinsmiths troubudours (traveling pot
menders) who JaMJ sown from 'Apirus. They have been
(losing eauh year since tha Xiddla ,I,gee, traveling in Greece
in the winter ti ,,e when it is aold in their own oeuntry„
uArrying small furnaee-pots Arca *ith ohureoul, retinning
the oopp3r vessels for the inhAbitants. I will say
everythinT cooked in th)se containars is fins, very line.
by
"The housewives roust their own (Joffe*, and grind it/hand
in *mai mills, held uetikeen their knees. The mill oan be
screwed to grind fins or °curses And Choi su4 the best to
do this work is the troubadours (-ynsies) who have strong
huwle Ax4 rme, ALid ean grind tho coffee very fins. They
also climb up And piak the olives from the trees, help with
all kinds of work, but how they do steal* ?he i are terrible
thieves.
"My grandmother hAd a loom, groat big, that took up
the whole side of one room about eight feet square, and
she would get the wool, when my gral4dfuther sheared the sheep,
Dennis lotime 11.
Aind weibehol and washed until the wool wus white as-snao. Then
it was wrung out and driod in cotton bags in tho sun. It
vould ba light then, an4 4null quantity of wet wool maim
a big bug,of fluffy drool.
"Then she had a hand. maahine a oarder that made the
wools in littlo rolls, which she would stretch out uud spin
into thread. omtirnos she would .stretoh too much und the
thread would break. Xhon she would taka the two ends, wrap
them together aud twist hard, and you could. 'not broak suoh
throad by hurd pulling.
"oho would buy trig spools of cotton thread from the
village store und spin that also into fine cotton cloth. At
wour most like iron.
"In my days thoro was no roady-male or manufactured
clothing on the imland. In ovory neighborhood thoro aaa a
woman dreosmaker. Thiess ladies, to my mind, wore artists.
They uould take goods by the yard t.ald fitehion the most
boautiful thinly. Thoy made 'adios' dreusos from looking
at piotures. t.:.mos when a girl in tho neighborhood would
bo ..;ettiu:; rtArriod, }Lid u big trouseau, and lots of maids
taking punt with tho bride, tha drossmakar wag most busy, us
tiler° would.bo lots and lo tt of new dresses for tho wedding
party.
"The men's olothes was mado by men tailors. Those who
oould ..Xford to havo the tailor-made clothing wore very
fortunate, 4As the tailors wore artists, too, training in
.Ahens Lind Patras, Auld some of thorn going to Auropean ()enters
and to London to study the styleo and jutting.
Donnie fotinos
"The shoes Aor both toln t.h,:k woman were ;1.4.14 in Lou.]
shoe shops by truined shoewhkore who h4A e. utter,
who out to Lieusure, 44a raeu!iunie to s 4 put the shoes
torathor. The ehcee, 4.n nal), berm vry to4.utiful 44.nd
lautin4:• KlAskin w.* .or the women's shoes oow-
+WU u.i4k o..lfekin for thl laden's,' The teat leather view'
imported. oe a4oes in eontinantiAl 3reeoe h..d les.ther
maxial.aeturin4 Yilii4.0.
"ItheiAnah 11s uiw.ya 14.0441 IA mmeibtime oountry. The As6rber
oX ZA4phi e hi,* Wen know; for eeetliries, und there for oentup.
rile hcore ea:Jolted ship -building imiree, buil4iipc seu-worthi
ships. Aar inst.i.nee, *wiling veaseleeplying the /baiter..
rsaine4,n :Au. item 'orts on the BIe‘uk tie4‘ to the .tr‘its of
librultax, 'ere built in Ithnee•
'Ithueo, inns prod eed tluny good businessmen, with 1e
4-
interests in us A ..i._mi
alm, ypt, iiin luor, tre -iusk4.ry. Ave
ti .e In4are 1,,Jah y.4.,:oy fiellous seholure u‘4A eduoutors (towshere)
who hwili Kood. AnJitLons in eahools nd ooilages tal over the
world, 0044 kli: them renowned fe-. teir 4reet le‘rning iond
their Jontributions to liter4ture .,nd the urts and soionees.
"In 1.4 home in Ithuev. the priiAry suhool Jhildren wont
'ogather, but the "rtii.,thiAl* eohool rroft the fifth grude wild the
hig:.: sehools were t,el,ru.te, th.$ bold h.wing t:'..air own rooms
'and touohlre snd tho irls on the othor tie. but in the
S4L4 tuildiw. Thlre were both mai a.111 :lfmes taaohere, the
woman in thn lower -rA.des.
Dennis Patinas U.
"I would like to neution 40120 of the Grecian ship-
building companies in xglni, OW is 61‘thatom Brothers and
othar is 4Jracoulis Ltd. These tire two of the older
wad better known firms with i mouse capital ‘rd lsrge
auto:prises. There are oth is, too, that have Gone into
existtusce slime I left Greco() thirty yao.rs ago, that have
offioem in Loudon.
"One family of ithuou, the 7heophilutos, were one of
the pioneer ship -builders ,nd owners that m..de grout ...rine
progrese when Groom, first 2tarted to beuome u muritine
nation. But thut oompuuy is now out ci xistence, because
durin; the Vvorld war the oldest stockholdor of this compuny,
Demetrios Thaophilatost f,ruad to loam° Angland on uo-
count of his anti -King activities. t.ugland tante& a united
nation.
"Demetrios Thcophilatos uallo to Lew:fork, bringing his
fortune to this uountry. Ito lost his ships beoause the
Anglish Aspire werJ fightini him,
"In mi opinion, LamJtrios Theophil tos was the Iroutest
patriot of kodurn Iresce, but he 1..ado tho mistake of trying
to fight tho -xaat Lritiah n„etion, ink not on the field of
houori
"lArry to :,ay, after he v.-LLo to thik, (;ouLtry, he lost
ail his money in roul estate in iiiwXork oity.
"But Er. Theophilatos wats u nobleman. Ho wus recognised
by krosidout and :'re. i,00drow -ilson, vas invited to be their
guest in Wushington, und we .4 friend of Mayor Ulan, of AG,
York City.
Dennis Yotinoe 14.
"All of Ithaea regretted that he lost his money,
beeause he w a on of the island's most highly regarded
eitisen.
"Alen he got dleaned out of his fortune in the United
zStates, he tent iaok, not to :iIngland, but to Holland, where
in Rotterdam is earning u nioe living as a ship broker.
"Thoes steamship (sampan:es now in London conduct their
business from ships flying the Greek flag, enjoy the respect
of the :,Inglish, and the confilenee of Lloyds, the retit
insurors. 71,,rizi all the oivil war in .4pain, never once
did thay a“rn oargo to any of the belligerents, or
handle any shipping but to or for the British government.
"The a are forty or fifty ocean-going vessels owned
by eons of Ithaea and operated for their fathers in Attn...
an thens, Greece. hut for 411 those ships, the name of
their port of birth is Baphia on the Island of Ithaca.
At t•iiie time, lir. Yotinoe, who had been talking without
interruPtion, eroduosd a letter from his desk from tho
eaptain of creek ''Aoamer the S. c' Aleni Stathatos
a native of Ithaoa, a friend v,hose wife is a near relative,
written while the ship was unloating serapm-iron in Yokohoma,
Japan. Mr. Patinae saw in a notice in a Greek paper that
the ship would toueh at key post for orders Jay let, and
the letter was in unemer o one he had writteri the L:aptain,
and delivered to him when the ship reached Key west as a
port -of -c11 on the date mentioned. He read the letter,
written on a typewriter and ;ouuhed in most beautiful
4nglish, which he stated he would antiwar in time for hie
friend to reactive it five days hones at seattle, Waihington
Dennis Potinas lb.
und would turn ovor to the iredersi Y-ritors' Projeot for the
v.atable information it Joutains.
mak** Potinos1148 shown the pioture-supplement
illustration of the wedding party of the wrestling *Adonis",
Jim Londe's, of Beverly Hills, Oalifotnia, and his bride,
Miss Arra Aookwite, of t. Louis, Missouri, us thew were
led around the Ultar of the Greek Orthodox Ohuroh by the
BIT. ;onstantins Thapralis, in the :selifornia city, and
was aoked to kindly explain the flower orows worn .by the
bride und giroom.
"I do not know if own remember, but a song is part
of the serviee, glorifying virtue and honor it goes
"May glory and virtue crown these" and th, two ribbons
tie the flower crowns together, to indicated the couple aro
united. I will write to the minitter myeelf of the Greek
Orthodox Aluroh in -,tluntu, and a..L him to send me the
entire hymn.''
In answer to a direot queetion he said: "Hot many
Greeks u e farming in this Jountry. The ocad not, beoauee,
in my opinion, they were so depresoad he they Jame over
hore, most of them, that tLci.had to ttl'n their hands to
Labor or other quiok work to 04,rn money to live on, and
dla not have time or capital to develop a farm. if they
would turn to farNin,T, I um sure they WOU d make good, btioause
_so a race they are very persistent and hard-working. 6ome
came over trained in various trades ae briak
leyers, stoneemithe, plasters us blaoksmithe, painters,
eta. But they had labored for so little at such work in
Dennis Potenos 16
Greatest there is so little putting up of new buildings, that
they ulmoet starved to death, and they did not have the heart
to try to eontinue their trained km ouonputions in a now eoun-
try, although wonderful skilled workers, for fear they would
ba oat -of -date or slow, and it would work a hardship on them.
You see, the muin thin us to earn money quiekly,
enough to live on, duy by day.
ft,meriou is u wonderful 71ace ,or my poo lo, wonderful,
wouderful e,untry! In whieh to ei.rn u living, the government
by a free people, the things we have (eonvenieucieelound the
ueoeseitile of life all so ineompuratle to what they are
in Graeae. We won't spuck of it, but it would be surprising
if we Jould got olong were we to r.turu to the homeiuud. To
live there the life re have in this oouutry, we mould have to
be ono hundred pereent in every respeet, u144 indeed be very
rioh to hive thero the rune aonvenieneos us are possible in
this Jountry."
(To be oontinued)