The star of the north. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1849-1866, 1861-05-08
The GIpsifs.

/ Inc fdea That the GipsIes are not oil
Egyptian, but of Hindo origin, is very popu.
lar though erroneous. 1, rests ontxo facts:
First. ''the general resemblance between
them and the ordinary natives of India, J
proves nothing. Second, the ''simiIarty OF
languages" also proves nothing, for this
reason, that the speaking of the English
language by the Africans of Monrovia does
not prove that they are Enelishmen.
The origin of the Gipses is the following:
When the Jews left Egypt uHder Moses, a
large body of people, who were not Jews,
left with him, or, as il is said in Ex xii, 3s,
"a mixed multitude went up also with
them (" There is no mention made in The
Bible of what became of this 'smixed mui
tilude," beyond our being told that, after
the reading of the law, the Jews 'sse2araled
from them" (Neh. xiii, 81 No commen.
tator that we'are aware of gives plausible
reason for the exodus OF the "mixed multi
tude,' or even an idea of whom or what il
consisted, except it be Hengstenberg, who
supposes that they were an inferior order of
workmen, employed like the Jews, as slaves
in The building of the pyramids. But that
they were refugees like the Jews, taking
! advantage of escaping with them from sla-
very. may be assumed as a question be
yond doubt.
Ii may be assumed as certainty that the
''mixed multitude" did moi enter Palestine
the promised land-with the Jews. AS
slaves OF Egypt, they would not return to
that country They would not go norh, for
that was the heritage of The people of Israel
which had to be wrested from the fierce
tribes of Palestine; they would not go north
east, for there lay the powerful empire OF
Assyria, or the germs out of which it
sprung they could not go south, for the
ocean 5emmed them in In that direction
cas-; through Arabia Peea, along The Gulf
Persia, through the Persian desert, into
northern Hndostan, where they formed the
Gypsy caste, and whence they issued, after
the lapse of so many centuries, in possess
ion of the language Of Hindostan, ana
spread themselves over the face OF the
earth. What strange sensation passes
through The mind when such a subject ia
contemplated Jews and Glpsies have in
sense the same origin, and after such vi
cissiludes meeting each other face 10 face.
under circumstances SO greatly alike, in
almost every part of the world, upward of
300 years after they parted company
The destiny tha, awaited The Jews after
escaping from Egypt was one ofthe follow.
ing They had either to subdue and take
The place of some other tribe, or be subdued
TO slate of slavery by it, and'perhaps 9th
ers combined !; or they might have been
befriended by some great empire as trbu-
taries; or, failing these three, what remain
ed for them was the destiny that befel the
Gipses-ihey being broken up into bands,
and becoming vagabonds, without country
they could claim as their own The posi-
ton in which these sfugee Egyptians
would find themselves placed, and the cir
cumstances surrounding them, would me-
cessitate them TO rob, steal or appropriate
whatever they found 10 be necessary TO
their existence; for whether they turned to
the right hand or the left, they would al
ways find territory previously occspied and
properly claimed by some one or other; so
that their presence would always be unwel-
come, their persons an intrusion every
where and having once started on their
weary pilgrimage, as long as they main
tanned their personal independence, they
would never attain, as body, TO any other
position than they have done in popular
estimation for The last four hundred aud fifty
years in Europe In the first generation,
their new habits and mode of life would
become chronic in the second generation,
they would become hereditary and from
this strange phenomenon would spring
race that is unique in the history of the hu-
mand family.
The subject of lie Gipsies has been treat
ed very specifically by almost all who
have written upon it, none being apparent
ly able to advance single step upon his
predecessors, and so erroneous have been
the ideas put forth, that a writer in a very
late number of Chambers Edinbuyg Journal,
asserts that s'before the end ofthis century
there will not be Gypsy In Western Eu-
rope Such writers have imagined that as
the race leave the lent, and more or less
conform TO the ways of civilized life, they
''cease TO be Gipsies," while, in fact, there
cannot be less than four million of Gipsies
in Europe and America, OF various mix
lures of blood, shades OF color, degrees of
education and positions in Ii.e.- Ns0 York
Despatch.
OsLy PRrsrER.--aHs is only pfinterl'