[11] The
reasons are the too onerous military duties in Greece and prosperity of
Greeks in America. The remittances fired the zeal of the home people to
follow, and the candymakers' shops were full of apprentices, because the
idea had gone abroad that candymakers could easily gain a fortune in
America.
[Sidenote: Showing only the Bright Side]
From these illustrations, it can readily be seen how widespread is the
knowledge of America as a desirable place. The other side is rarely
told and that is the pitiful side of it. The stories that go back are
always of the fortunes, not of the misfortunes, of the money and not of
the misery.
_V. Solicitation an Evil_
[Sidenote: Evils of Solicitation]
If immigration were left to the natural causes, there would be little
reason for apprehension. It is in the solicited and assisted immigration
that the worst element is found. Commercial greed lies at the root of
this, as of most of the evils which afflict us as a nation. The great
steamship lines have made it cheaper to emigrate than to stay at home,
in many cases; and every kind of illegal inducement and deceit and
allurement has been employed to secure a full steerage.
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