The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1883-09-25

who are They aud Whence Come They
Real Gy psies ~ 1.-The stage Creation.
The people OF Boston have an oppor'
tunity Of hearing gypsy band, and in the
suburbs one has a chance Of meeting
gypsies, who play cards, are without visible
means OF living and deal somewhat in
soothsaying. Where do. the gypsies come
from, and what are they? The word gypsy
means Egyptian" and has suggested the
old story that the gypsies came from the
land OF the PharaOns, either because the
Egyptians failed TO entertain the Israeli
ties Hospitality, or because the Holy
! Child and the Virgin Mary were
treated rudely when they took refuge in
Egypt from the persecutlons OF Herod. The
French call Tho Egyptians Bohemians, hut
this name Is not significant, as the real
B1hsmians are q people OF high intelli-
gence. In fact, the Bohemians are the
Frenchmen among the Slavs. The German
name Of the gypsies .Zgeuaer, has puzzled
the etymoloIis aud German erudition
has invoked .HerodOtus, Turkish ana
Elniopic to explain the word. But were
the werd explained, the gypsiea themselves
might remain mystery, Tor there Is a
wideguli between words and the things Of
which words are but symbols or names.
There are about 100000 gypsies in Eu-
rope, aud 90,00Oin Hungary alone. Poetry,
operas and music have been partial to gyp-
sies. Sir Walter Scott, the opera Of Gar
men," and scores OF German productions
hsve dealt in gypsies, and FAM Lisz! has
immortalized their music. The gloomy,
melancholy eye Of the gypsy has been ex'
planned as the result Of persecution, or IS
the yearning for happier lot. Gypsy girls
have been admired for their charms. But,
the sob:r truth is that the melancholy eye
OF the gypsy indicates stupidity, sensuality
and lazy brooding. Gypsy girls may have
q certain charm-young people generally
have; but gypsy women are ugly, in the
fullest sense Of the word. Aud romance
itself comes to an end when people are on
bad terms with soap and water, and reyel
in roasted cats or half.deCayed meats Of
any kind. Most gypsies are dirty, law,
thievisb, cowsrdly, malicious and strictly
unpoetiCal. They abominate policemen;
they like people who are romantic in the
fullest meaning OF the term, and they like
to be recognized as such.
More than century ago scholar inves-
tigated the language oil tho gypsies and de-
cided it to be Indian in origin and Aryau
in character. The greatest etymologist Of
this century, Prof Pott, studied the gypsy
dialects Of all Europe and concluded them
10 be nearer the original Sanskrit than are
most languages now spoken. More recent
ly the eminent Miklosich, the illuetrious
Slav scholar, has traced the migrations OF
the gypsles from the Upper Indus, through
Syria and Asia Minor to Greece. They left
India about the year 1000; they began to
make Greece their home about 1850: they
entered Roumania about 1900, Hungary
about 1850, Bohemia about l4l0, Germany
in l4l7, Spain in 1440. Later on they in
vaded Scotland, Sweden, Russia and S.
IBERIA. When did they enter America ?
We do not know. But 1t ia quite certain
thar the gypsies occur in Egypt, in the
Soudap, throughout Northern Africa, and
even in China. Only the Jews surpass the
persisIency OF these nomads. But the Jew
adapts himself 10 civilization as he finds il;
the gypsy remains himself wherever he is,
and an gypsies have common dialect.
Prof. Miklosich has destroyed the belief
that the gypsies are Aryans, except in their
dialect. Modern anthropoloRy is disposed
to question the Aryan character OF the
people in British India; the lower classes,
the dark people and the gypsies, are now
thought to be Dravidians, that is to say,
neither Caucasian nor Magnolan. They
occupied India before the immigration Of
the Sanskrit people, and still survive, es
pecially near Madras and In Southern
India. The pariahs Of Northern India are
called Dome, but the Dis cerebral, and
sounds somewhat like K. Our gypsies call
themselves Rom; they think themselves kolO
black, or meleto, brown, in opposition to the
white Europeans, whom the gypsy calls
parao. Prof. MiklosiCh traces the word
Zigeuner to Atspgani or Athin ami, which
IL the Byzantine name for abandoned her.
etics. The Roms, or gypsies, have no re-
ligion. The Byzantines, like some other
people, measure the value OF strangers on
the score Of religion-by the degree 10
which strangers show our own religious
preferences and customs Viewed in that
light or by our statute book, the gypsy is
not a good citizen, in fact he is not citi.
zen at all. His best art is his music, and
that art has the advantage OF not requiring |
human speech or national institutions as
an interpreter or foundation.