The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-11-02
interesting
GYPSIES.
Where They Go and Whence They
Come.


ments of civilization come and go, and
present the same peculiar characteristics
of the race In every land through which
they roam. We see them in their light
covered wagons, followed by herds Of
horses, in which they deal. and recognize
them by their tawny black skin, large
black eyes, white teeth, and the liberal
adornment of rings and golden trinkets
with which the women love to deck them
selves. They travel in light spring
wagons, well protected from the rain and
cold, and brood of bright, black
eyed healthy children thrust their
little heads from under the
canvass as they pass through the cities,
while the mother and father sit upon the
front seat and go their way in that aimless
fashion for which they are noted
A writer has collected these facts about
them which are well worth reading:
Where do the gyrsies come from and
what are theys The word gypsey means
Egyptian" and has suggested the old
story that the gypsies came from the land
of the Pharaoh's, either because the
Egyptians failed to entertain the Israelites
hospitality, or because the Holy Child
and the Virgin Mary were treated rudely
when they took refuge in Egypt from the
prosecutions of Herod The French call
the gypsies Bohemians, but this name is
significant, as the real Bohemians are a
people of high intelligence. In fact, the
Bohemians are the Frenchmen among the
Slaves. The German name of the gyp-
sizes, Zigeuner, has puzzled the etymolo
gists, and German erudition has invoked
Herodotus, Turkish and Ethiopic to ex-
plain the word. But were the word
explained, the gypsies then selves might
remain mystery, for there is wide
gulf between words and the things OF
which words are but symbols or names.
There about 600 900 gypsfes in Europe
and $4,000 in Hungary alone. Poetry,
operas and music have been partisl te
gypsies. Sir Walter Scott, the opera Of
Carmen" and scores of German pro-
auctions have dealt in gypsies. and Franz
Listz has immortalized their music. The
gloomy, melancholy eye of the gypsy has
been explained as the result of persecn-
ton. or as the yearning for a happier lot
Gypsy girls have been admired for theil
charms. But the sober truth is that thu
melancholy eye of the gypsy indicates
stupidity, sensuality and lazy brooding
Gypsy girls may have a certain charm
young people generally have; but gypsy
women are ugly in the fullest sense of the
word. And romance itself comes to an
end when people are on bad terms with
soap and water. and revel in roasted cats
or half decayed meats of any kind. Mos
gypsies are dirty, lazy, thievish, cow
srdly, malicious, and strictly unpoetical
They abominate policemen; they like PEG
pie who are romantic. They are nomadit
in the fullest meaning of the term, anC
they like to be recognized as such.
| More than century ago scholar in
vestigated the language of the gypsies ant
decided it TO be Indian IN origin and AIRY
an in character. The greatest etymolo.
gist of this century, Prof. Pott, studied
the gypsy dialects of all Europe and con.
cluded them to be nearer the origiona
Sandskrit than are most languages nov
spoken. More recently the eminen
Miklosich, the illustrious Stay scholar ha
traced the imigrations of the gypsies from
the Upper Indus, through Syria and Ash
Minor to Greece. They left India abou
the year 1000; they began to make Greco
their home about 1850; they entered Rou
mania about 1900, Hungary in 144C
Later on they invaded Scotland. Sweden
Russia and Siberia. When did they ente
America? We do not know. But it
quite certain that the gypsies occur il
Egypt, IN the Soudan, throughout North
] ern Africa, and even in China.
Prof Miklosich has destroyed the be
lief that the gypsies are Aryans, excep
in their dialect. Modern anthropology
disposed to question the Aryan characte
of the people in British India; the lowe
classes, the dark people and the gypsie
are now thought to be Dravidians, that i
to say, neither Caucasian nor Mongoliar
They occupied India before the immigra
ton of the Sanskrit people, and still SUI
Ivive, especially near Madras and, il
Southern India. The pariahs of Northern
India are called Domes, but the D is cere
BAL and sounds somewhat like r. Gu
lgypsies call themselves Rom; they thin
themselves Kalo, black, ormeledo, brow
in opposition to the white European;
whom the gypsies calls parnb. Pro-
Miklosich traces the world Sigcuner t
Atsingant or Athingani, which is the By
zantine name for abandoned heretics. Tn
Roms, or gypsies, have no religion. TIL
Byzantines, like some people, measur
the value of strangers on the score of IT
ligion-by the degree to which stranger
share our religious preferences and Gus
toms. Viewed in that light, or by GU
statute book, the Gypsy is not goo
citizen at all. His best art is his music
and that art has The advantage of not r,
quiring human speech or national institr