The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1884-04-05

600 of people in that small country
necessarily put a stop to gypsy en-
campments. Now very many live in
cities during winter season. In sum
mer they resume their nomadic career
Their avocaiion for the most part is
horse-dealing and iortunc-telliug. They
have the reputation Of stealing horses.
They don't deserve il. | regard the
gypsy rs very much more honest
character than many Carislan folks of
superior standing and higher culture.
Many people think they steal house
hold articles. | am sure they don't.
Why, if an article is missed within five
miles Of gypsy tent, the entire neigh
borhood for miles around makes raid
on the tent. ii they ever did steal this
would prevent it. Besides, there is no
need. All gypsies are rich. The men
are very shrewd horsc-tradcrs, and
they earn considerable money at the
business. The women always find
supers'tious people from whom to ex-
tract money for telling their fortunes.
Their habits are economical, and their
mode of life very inexpensive. The
gypsy never cares about personal sur
roundings. Even the old taste for fam
cy costumes is disappearing, if it has
not entirely disappeared.
"How many gypsies there are can
not say. | was on able to trace about
one hundred family names in England.
Most of those have representatives in
America. There are few Spanish
gypsics here also, but the great bulk
are of English stock. Most of the
older folks IN America now were borD
in England Only the younger gener-
atoms are natives. The Scotch gypsics
are Of II higher class; but they are not
numerous now. Irish Gypsics9 Yes,
there are some few.
They are for the most part thinkers
or thinkers. They have a dialect OF
their own, which | am the first philo-
logical discovercr OIL The only men
ton OF it in literature is by Shakespeare,
VINO makes Prince Hal say: i can
talk with the tinker in his own dialect.
The dialect is called the Shclta. Some
time ago | saw an lsishman tinkeriug
in The back yard of my house. | went
replied in that tongue without showing
the lcas, surprise. then addressed
him in Shclta. He at once exhibited
surprise. The fellow told !
me he knew very few who spoke the |
Iia.ect, and that he was surprised to
sind me use it. From him learned |
much more of the dialect than | had |
known made hi, instructions to me
the basis of 4 chapter in work on the
yypsies. A London journalist said that
The lrishman had pokcd off an ancient |
Irish dialect on me. jokingly reprov-
od my instructor in the Shelta. BE |
lad, said he, with strong Irish ac-
cent, If there was but one language,
rs you think, would have been after
earning two?' The Irish gypsy is a
lalf-brecd. They are all thinkers.
"The religion Of the gypsy was pure
atheism, They are the only absolute
atheists | ever met. But now, how
,ver, in England, they are beginning
o practice formal religion. Some of
hem have the babies baptized, and
others affect legal marriage. With this
'hange, may come love of civilized
md cultured pursuits AS far as can
race no gypsy has risen in literature,
Irt, or science. However if he should,
t would be difficult to prove, for pride
would hide the origin, 1t is said that
Daniel Webster and Hannibal Hamlin
we're of gypsy descent l do not be-
ieve the assertion had good foundation.
President Lincoln certainly did look
ike a gypsy, and yet know no reason
o assert that he sprang from those
TRANCE people. With these amalgama-
ions with gcntiles comes also desire
o settle down. There are the Coopers
n Boston and Harrisons in Washington;
hey are rich, and, as far us | know
hey never 20 on the road | know a
ew other families that have given up
cnt life, and who now permanently
eside in houses. archaeological Press.