The first anniversary of the entrance of Greece into the great World
War was officially celebrated in New York City by a banquet tendered by
His Excellency, George Roussos, the Minister of Greece at Washington,
to about forty prominent and representative citizens of New York at
Delmonico’s, and these guests were invited to participate later in an
imposing celebration in the Century Theater.
Many thousands of Greeks and Americans formed most enthusiastic and
appreciative listeners to speeches made by Mr. Roussos (whose address
is given below in full), Francis M. Hugo, Secretary of State of New
York, who came in behalf of His Excellency Governor Whitman; Richard
Enright, Commissioner of Police of New York City, who represented
the Mayor of the city; Demetrios Verenikis, Consul General of Greece
and recently appointed Minister of Greece to Japan; William Fellowes
Morgan, President of the Merchants’ Association, and Constantine
Voicly, President of the Pan-Hellenic Union in America. The invocation
was pronounced by the Rev. Demetrios Callimachos of the Greek Church.
Among those guests at the banquet, who were also present at
the theater, were the Honorable Cunliffe-Owen, who presided
and felicitously introduced the various speakers; the Countess
Cunliffe-Owen; Baron de Sadelaer, formerly Minister of State of
Belgium; General Daniel Appleton, U. S. A.; Colonel DeWitt Clinton
Falls, commanding the Seventh Regiment; General W. A. White, C. B.,
of the British War Mission; Commodore Lionel Wells, of the Royal
British Navy; General William A. Mann, U. S. A., commanding Governors
Island; Colonel George W. Burleigh, of the Governor’s Staff; Captain
L. Rebel, of the French Navy; J. K. Ohl, editor-in-chief of the New
York _Herald_; Pay Director Charles W. Littlefield, U. S. N.; David
Penny, vice-president of the Irving National Bank; Robert Grier Cooke,
president of the Fifth Avenue Association; Hon. Byron B. Newton,
collector of the Port of New York; J. S. Alexander, president of the
National Bank of Commerce; R. C. Veit, vice-president of the Standard
Oil Company; Elbert H. Gary, Samuel W. Fairchild, A. E. Stevenson, H.
W. Sackett, George T. Wilson, Colonel Benda of the Italian Army, and
Commodore Morrell, U. S. N.
The members of the Executive Committee of the American-Hellenic Society
participated in both parts of the great celebration, which had been
so ably organized and effectively carried out by Mr. Cunliffe-Owen, a
member of our Committee as well as one of the Board of Governors of our
Society.
The sentiment so eloquently uttered by Commissioner Enright that
Constantinople, which has always been an essentially Greek city,
should, at the round table of the peace delegates, be returned to
Greece, was greeted with cheers and the loudest applause.