The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1885-01-31
WITH RoMANx FOLKS.
TIaeVHOnOred Gypsy CustOms-De-
cline OF the Race Of Wanderers.
[chicago News Interview.1


CLINE OF the Race Of Wanderers.
IChicago News Interview.1
The gypsy fortune.teller of the museum
althougfsshe is typical Of the younger
class Of English gypsies rather than an
exponent of the genuine oldfashioned
Romany folks, but few of whom are left
either In this country or in England. Her
lefty hair has the oriental tendency TO ktnk,
but her eyes are hazel, while the genuine
Romany eye Is as black as coal Her
ewes, however, have the strange and pc
euler gypsy expression, which IS nothing
more than stare. Her little child played
about the floor. A. few words spoken by
the visitor In the gentle Romany speech
PaVe fight 60 her distrust and set her re-
ficent gypsy tongue to talking freely.
tAhI Know you the Buffers and the
Stanleys9 So2 Then you know all the
gypsy ways, and need sAk me nothing. ]
Gould tell you nothing of my people but
what you already know as well as l, for
these are the truest old-fashioned gypsy
people in the country. They stick close
and fast TO the old ways. The gypsiea
are falling from their true RomaDy life.
See; look here at my little one; even their
skins change and their eyes grow light in
this climate. Each child comes whittier
than its mother So, by and bye think
our ways and faces will be gone:
"How do you like the show business?"
she was asked.
"I like no house, but if l make much
money willsstay awhile. I've only been
In the business three days, and l think
people must be poor or the times hard, for
so few have come for their 'dukkerin'
(fortune). Give up my own true life?
How can, you ask2 Not if the finest kind
In this CITY were mine. What Joy in life
Is so fine as the dear camp, the tent in the
wagon, the free air, with the trees and sky
over our heads?
"Did you not marry outside the
Romany people that your child is so fair?"
The red blood swept up into her hand
some brown face and CLINT OF indigna-
ton darkened her eyes. You who know
all the gypsy ways should no. ask me that.
A white man never touched my hands.
No true gypsy girl would turn her head to
look AZ a man not of her people. You
must know we never let our own men
even court us as American and English
girls do. If we think we like each other
then straight, before once we kiss each
other, do we run away-elope, you call 1t
and be married.
weste no time in counting or getting &C
quainted. The fancy of a youth and q
maiden is enough to them to warrant their
marriage, and that is usually an affair of
their own, unknown to the relations OF
either until it transpires for no genuine
Romany parents will ever give consent to
the marriage of their children. To do so
Is un-Romany like and bespeakes falling
away from the old principles of the true
black Hood. In the fortune teller's words,
"They would rather give away their daily
bread and butter than their children to
marry
a woman came for her 'dukkerin' to-
day. common woman, said the fortune
teller, as she fingered her beads in the
istic of the gypsies, land she looked at my
little one-so fair, Kyou see. Then she
said to me, That is not your own child, IS
itY thinking, you see, that had taken 1t
away. knew what she meant. How
foolish are these people who think the
gypsies steal childrenl Did you ever see
3 camp where there were no children3 An,
no, the gypsies have more than any other
people Gypsies have no need to steal.
All are well of, Nowhere is, there 3
gypsy In prison. The road people who
are lace peddlers and the meanest In the
world-the half-and. halfs-they do steal,
but not Romany. Neither is one woman
Of the Romany people ever but a true wife
to one man. s.y
It Is o well-established fact that fem
inine uachastity is unknown among the
RYpsi0s. The gifls are taught from earlt
esE infancy that they are better dead than
unchaste. In the olden time the gypsy
girl who departed from this teaching was
buried alive, though the trade of all thu
gypsy women Is like that Of Mamie Spar
row, to deceive by professing.to be able ia
read the future. Among themselves the
Romany folk fidicule all Who give heed tC
this pretense, which yields them wonder
fui profit, far greater than any one unac
qhaintedswith the race would suppose