The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1880-12-11
Our OliO.


...... ANiSPs"N NJf'iS1'
A bright aud wrctched race is rowing
European highways, calivening the roads
with variegated costumes aud stirring
great cities with song, 1t lives TN love
and freedom Its representatives are call
cd Tziganes, Zingari, Gigani, Cygans, vi.
geuDer, Gilanos, Gypsies, Egyptians and
Bohcmians. These names illustrate its
development and close relationship with
Southern races Where the sun is warm,
where flowers bloom, where groves are
luxuriant, where sayory fruits drop from
the trees, there the gypsy thrives and
fourishes His tent IL rickety cart; his
code the navajo in Spain, the kinjal in
Russia dagger, short aud sharp; his
garments, rags his law, nature. He kills
an uniaithful wife, and il a woman of the
tribe yields to outside enticements she is
put to death. The piercing black eyes,
luscious lips, aquiline profile, clear.cut
chin, rich black hair, aud swarthy com.
plexion must not be defiled by foreign
admixture. The Chinaman is silent con.
corning the manners and laws Of his nation
His silence is easily maintained, for he
has home far away. The gypsy, howev.
err, vicious aud ofeminate, born in the
slums Of great cities, speaking their Ian.
guages, aud trading with their inhabitants
clings to his Arabian Incidence without
utteriug a word concerning the laws which
be obeys, the gods whom he worships, OIL
/ a.. ..a,,,l.,r os,Aa - Ian.. ..ls.L l.. u
serves. Stealing brings no dishonor, The
most respectable members Of the tribe visit
the thief 10 prison. If daggers leap from
their sheaths 10 forest or dark street
and are buried in the hearts Of irate com.
baiants, the thud Of a falling body is fol-
lowed by its silent burial, and the caravan
goes its way. What is life that they should
mind it
This curious race must not be treated
! lightly. 1t is nature, beautiful aud wild
living face to face with that other nature,
conventional aud deformed. The gypsy
knows nothing of the abstract idea Of LID.
erty. In him liberty is instructive and
natural. The earth belongs to man man
has right to the earth this is the essence
Of his religion. The trees have fruii-let
US eat them women have kisses--let US
snatch them the sun is warm--let us bask
10 il this is his creed The true gypsy
is the primitive man, imprisoned ia the
eity--a living protest Of nature against the
men Of the day, whom he considers degen.
crate. He is not the primitive man of the
North-6ghtiug bears, digging holes under
the snow for shelter, killing wild beasts fol
food and telling trees for fuel He is the
nervous man Of the South--as shapely as
Apollo, as elegant as woman and as sup
pie as a deer. He kills his wife with a
dagger OF strong embrace, He is always
child he never grows old lie breathes
the freedom of nature. lie is the same
everywhere. A common type gives him
common Characteristic The Russian
Tzigano loves sunlight, vanders over the
highways dressed 10 rags and plays his
guitar with the same nonchalance and ease
as the Spanish Giiauo. The Gypsy's
dances, voluptuous and frantic, his music
sparkling and languid, his ruses, his com.
bait, his earclessness, his flashing eve, arc
the same 10 the suburbs of Kieff in the
black lands, as ut Seville in the golden
land. The earth is his mother, pleasure
his love, aud freedom bis religion. Give
hin a palace aud be will return to the cot
tage. lie pretends to obey the laws of the
land that gave him birth, and If he viola
ties them, submits to the prescribed pun.
ishment but in his own sphere his only
rule Of conduct is the simple code of the
tribe, aud his only authority that of its
chief When driven to the city by want
or cold, be settles 10 a squalid quarter
dangerous 10 strangers. He lives in the
street lnihe street the women Of the
tribe arrange their hair, dress their child.
rem, and make love to the young men. II
pressed by hunger, he rises slowly, mutters
few oaths, casts jealous glance on his
black..eyed wife, secs that the spring which
launches tie blade Of bis navajo Is 10 or.
der, siezcs few red aud blue kerchiels,
aud siartsthIough the streets accompanied
by an old toothlcss mule, his head wrapped
10 a handkerchief tied at the back Of the
neck, with the ends auiteriDg over his 70.
bust back, Selling handkerchiefs and
mules Is an easy occupation. He will
never trace iurrow on the ground nor
touch the workman's hammer. He con.
siders labor dishouorable. lie does moth.
ing but what is indispensable to earn a
living. Ii be steals il is not through love
Of money, but to escape the necessity Of
earning money by labor. To him the city
Is prison. lie loves the country. There
he breathes freely aud is joyous. He has
no house rent to pay. No one asks him
whittier be is going. The stars arc bis
lnnIps, the sun warns his cold bones and
food Is abundant and free. In the country
be asks nothing more than water 10 the
brook chestnuts on the trees, milk from
stray COW and roses to adorn the dark hair
Of bis darling Lying on his back he
sings for hours,
When the brook dries up aud the roses
fade, when the trees have dropped their
fruit aud winter approaches, an odd and
fautastic life opens for the zingarn. Ia
Russia the merry hand resume the sound.
ing guitar the bhlalaika. For a Gun Of
tea. little poor mans beer, or bowl of
cruel they sing wild melodies, wierd and
sad, They dance balleis. mad and quaint.
making the blood OF halfdfdnkcn peasants
and other spectators fairly boil 10 their
veins The eye of Gitano Is never for
gotten It's gaze pierces tho flesh. makes
Straight for The heart, and, once there. re-