St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1884-03-22
The Romany Race.

Ine KOmany h8Cos
The only living American who has
any intimate knowledge of the language,
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 Philadelphia,
his personal appearance is not generally
known. Apparently, he is about fifty
years of age. He wears a full, long.
flowing iron-gray beard. His gray
hair is closely cut. The forehead is
broad and full 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.
20 YES do know considerable about
the gypsies,' he said in the course of
conversation. Il was with them con-
stantly for several years in England. and
even now, in America, see some of
that queer folk neatly every week.
The way | came to know them was
through my studying philology. For
months spent entire days in their tents,
using only the Romany language. By
the ,bv, their language is the best
index of their origin. The gypsy is
unquestionably a Hindoo. The Euro.
pean gypsieS of to-day have retained
much of their race characteristics. But
they are amalgamating more OF less
with other races. They thrive better
in America than elsewhere. In
England the passage of the inclosure
act virtually abolished all commons.
and so the gypsy has now no place to
pitch his tent unless he becomes tres
passer. The fact is that the great
increase of population there of 26,OOO.-
600 of people in that small country nee
essarily put stop to gypsy encamp-
ments. Now very many live in cities
during winter season. In summer they
resume their nomadic career.
Their avocation for the most part Is
horse-trading and fortune-telling. They
have the reputation of stealing horses.
They don't deserve it. l regard the
gypsy as very much more honest char
acter than many Christian folks of
superior standing and higher culture.
Many people think they steal household
articles. am sure they don't. Why.
if an article is missed within five miles
of a gypsy tent. the entire neighborhood
for miles around makes raid on the
tent. If they ever did steal this would
prevent it. Besides. there is no need.
All gvpsies are rich. The men are very
shrewd horse-tradcrs, and they earn
considerable money at the business.
The women always find superstitious
people from whom to extract money for
telling their fortunes. Their habits are
economical, and their mode of life very
inexpensive. The gypsy never cares
about personal surroundings. Even
the old taste for fancy costumes is
disappearing, if it has not entirely dis
appeared.
..How many gypsies there are l can
not say. was only able to trace about
one hundred family names in England.
Most of those have representatives in
America. There are few Spanish
gypsies here also, but the great bulk are
Sf English stock. Most of the older
folks in America now We're born in
England. Only the younger generations
are natives. The Scotch gypsies are of
a higher class: but they are not numer-
Gus now. Irish gypsies? Yes, there
are some few.
..They are for the most part thinkers
or tinklers They have dialect of their
own, which am the first physiological
discoverer of. The only mention of
it in literature is by Shakespeare, who
makes King Hal say: i can talk with
the tinker i'm his own dialect The
dialect is called the Shelta. Some time
AGO l saw an Irishman tink-
ering in the back yard of my house.
I went up and addressed him in
Romany. He replied in that tongue
without showing the least surprise. |
then addressed him in the Shelta. He
mt 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. | made his instructions
to me the basis of a chapter in work
on the gypsies. A London journalist
said that the Irishman had poked off an
ancient Irish dialect on me. joklngly
reproved nv. instructor in the Shelta.
BE dad, said he with a strong Irish ac-
cent, If there was but one language,
as YOU think, would l have been after
learning two?' The Irish gypsy is a
half-breed They are all tinkers.
..The religion of the gypsy was pure
atheism. They are the only absolute
atheists | ever met. But now, however,
in England, they are beginning to
practice formal religion. Some O. them
have the babies baptized, aDY 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. it
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 believe the assertion had good
foundation. President Lincoln certainly
did look like gypsy, and yet know
no reason to assert that he sprang from
those strange people. With these
amalgamations 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 few other families that have
given up tent life, and who now per.
/ manently reside in houses. .'-Philddel-