Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1884-04-03
ITO be contsslsled.)
THE ROMANY RACE.
The Religion, Habits, and Morals OF
the Gypsys.

INC Uypsys'
The only living American who has
any intimate knowledge of the lam
guage, history. and customs of the
mysterious gypsy is Charles Godfrey
Leland, the distinguished author, of
this city.
Although "Hans Breitmann' has
spent many years of his life in Phila-
delphia, his personal appearance is not
generally known. Apparently, he is
about 80 years of age. He wears full,
long, flowing iron-gray beard. His
dark, restless, and sharp eyes glisten
from under high-arched eyebrows. Mr..
Leland's manner is free and kind. He
is nervous and his hands are forever in
motion.
''Oh, yes, l do know considerable
about the gypsies," he said in the
course of conversation. ~ was with
them constantly for several years in
England, and even now, in America, 1
see some of that queer folk nearly
every week. The way / came to know
them was through my studying philol-
ogy. For months l spent entire days
in their tents. using only the Romany
language. BY the bye, their language
is the best index of their origin. The
gypsy is unquestionably Hindoo.
The European gypsies of to-day have
retained much of their race character
istics. But they are amalgamating
more or less with other races. They
thrive better in America than elsewhere.
In England the passage of the Enclosure
nj oil
and so the gypsy has now no place to
pitch his tent unless he becomes a tres
passer. The fact is that the great in
crease of population there of 26, 00O,-
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 avocation for the most part is
horse-dealing and fortune-telling. They
have the reputation of stealing horses.
They don't deserve il. / regard the
gypsy as very much more honest
character than many Christian folks of
superior standing and higher culture.
Many people think they steal house,
hold articles. l 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. If they ever did steal this
would prevent it. Besides, there is no
need. All gypsies are rich. The men
are very shrewd horse-traders, and
they earn considerable money at the
business. The women always find
superstitious. 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 fan
cy costumes is disappearing, if it has
not entirely disappeared.
"How many gypsies there are can
not say. was only able to trace about
one hundred family names in England.
Most of those have representatives in
America. There are a few Spanish
gypsies here also, but the great bulk
are of English stock. Most of the
older folks in America now were born
in England. Only the younger gener-
atoms are natives. The Scotch gypsies
are of a higher class; but they are not.
numerous now. Irish GypsiesP Yes.
there are some few.
'They are for the most part tinkers
or thinkers. They have dialect Of
their own, which l am the first philo-
logical discoverer OF. The only men,
ton of it in literature is by Shakespeare,
who makes Prince Hal say: i can
talk with the tinker in his own dialect
The dialect is called the Shelta. Some,
time ago saw an Isishman tinkering
in the back yard of my house. went
up and addressed him in Romany. He
replied in that tongue without showing
the least surprise. / then addressed
him in Shelta. He at once exhibited
unfeigned surprise. The fellow told
me he knew very few who spoke the
dialect, and that he was surprised to.
find me use it. From him learned
much more of the dialect than / had
known. i made his instructions to me-
the basis of chapter in work on the
gypsies. A London journalist said that.
the Irishman had poked off an ancient.
Irish dialect on me. jokingly reprov-
ed my instructor in the Shelta. BE
dad, said he, with strong Irish &C.
cent, If there was but one language,
as you think, would / have been after
learning twoP' The Irish gypsy is a.
half-breed. They are all thinkers.
1.-THE religion of the gypsy was pure
atheism. They are the only absolute
atheists ] ever met. But now. how
ever, in England, they are beginning
to practice formal religion. Some of
them have the babies baptized, and
others affect legal marriage. With this.
change, may come a love of civilized
and cultured pursuits. As far as can
trace no gypsy has risen in literature,
art, or science. However, If he should,
IL would be difficult to prove, for pride
would hide the origin. 1t is said that
Daniel Webster and Hannibal Hamlin
were of gypsy descent. do not be-.
lieve the assertion had good foundation.
President Lincoln certainly did look
like a gypsy, and yet know no reason
to assert that he sprang from those
strange people. With these amalgama-
tons with gentiles comes also desire
TO settle down. There are the Coopers
in Boston and Harrisons in Washington;
they are rich, and, as far as know
they never go on the road. know a.
few other families that have given up
tent life, and who now permanently
reside in houses. Philadelphia Press.