Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1890-06-28
HILARY.

alton, and that they will be led into better
Ways of living, and the friends of Miss Good
lie consider her particularly well fitted to
i'd in bringing about this result.
uR. wAKENIAN's JOURNEYINGs.
In Camp Near Dover, N. J.-Anosher
Chapter on the Character of Gipsies
"-The1r Resicence-A Visit with Clip.
SHE'S TO . Chicago Theater-A letter
From George w. Oarpenser-Gipsy
Life In Camp.
CAMP NEAR DOVER, N. j., June 16.
To the Editor Of the JOURNAL AND COURIER:
9aThere is something truly remarkable about |
The almost unchangeable reserve of the gipsy |
in the presence of any other than his own |
people, and of his singular shifts and efferts |
to be as one dumb. Catch him In city CT
trading in village, or come upon him in
any sort Of mixed company, and his resi-
cence is 80 marked that the ordinary obser-
yer would set him down as inordinately str.
pid. This habit is universal among these
people and they break through it only under
great stress Of badgering or necessity. A
wagon load of gipsies once halted in front
of wagon makers in small Pennsylvania
town, where frequently make my home,
and while one of them tried to dioker for a
sulky for one-half it's value, o really intelli-
gent clergyman in the presence of admiring
townspeople put set of stereotyped ques-
tions to them about their mode of life and
the state of their souls, varying the same.
with other proddings of like nature in his
line. But the lot of lost heather were 20
bad as to smile at him, so dumb as to not
answer him, and so downright wicked as to
give him no chance for an argument; where.
upon the good man lost his temper entirely,
and consigned them to eternal perdition in
one compact and canonical sentence. Stand
ing next the team and thinking to have a
little fun at the parsons expense, said
wickedly in an undertone to particularly
lively old dame in the wagon:
q GA shan gaugie-a grye chor! Tell him
so and jaw the dron," or, in plain English:
The man is bad one himseIf-a horse theft
Tell him so and go away.
The woman gave me quick look Of half
inquiry and recognition, which I returned
with all good assurance. Then she called
the gypsy from the wagon shop by word.
He came out nimbly, looked quickly at the
crowd and sprane into the wagon. Just as
they started rapidly away she turned full on
the clergyman, who was still forenstcaily dis
posing Of their souls in different forms of
future torture, and said quietly: "Hit's said
ye're no better nor q horse thief yersel.
Howsumdever hus be, mebby ye might be a
tendin' yer own soul VII proftl'
Everybody was too astonished to laugh;
and the good man sorely felt that his powder
had bsen burned for naught. Ashamed as
was at my own part in the report, my aston
ishment was in the unheard Of departure of
the brave gypsy rule to never betrsy spirit OF
the brightness of indignation under the most
exasperating circumstances. Full rstribu-
tion came in learned disquisition from the
clergyman on gipsies, the burden of which
was thai gypsy writer's and students were in
league to give the race place as the most can
ny and cunning of men, when everything
proved them the most brainless and stupid
people on earth.
Nor was his idea an uncommon one. That
| 1t generally prevails is not singular when ii
| is remembered that their whole life motive
| seems to be to appear to all but themselves
/ Just that sort of people. It is only with the
| most ignorant of country eide folk, or among
| those not of their race who are thoroughly
| known and have been unqualifedIy tested,
I
| pretense of brainlessness. Test this at any
| time and in any way and you will find it to
| be true. As ia almost true Of one or two
other races We have with US, they have nc
rsce sympathy with us; they resist all asso-
ciation with us; they cannot bear any man.
ner of intermingling or mixing up. All
people not pipsies are, to their notion, made
for them to forage from, to subsist upon
Therefore, and because this is true of the
- all &c
part of it, or of individuals, their ways
among us are, and forever will be-, the exac
opposite of what they are among themselves
Pretense, affsctation, deceit, then, are be-
come their nature. Nor must these qualities
be reckoned against them a. parts of thei
real selves. Foxes may bs quite sociabl'
and jolly and generous at home. But tn
giysy nature is the fox nature, limitless IL
degree, in all that side of him, in all things
| which must be presented to all other man
kind. That is the very essence of gipsyism
Rapidly as they are increasing among us
because all conditions for the same are will
US infinitely more favorable than the worlt
ever gave them elsewhere, large as is th
wealth they are piling up in farm and cit,
property, they do not lose an iota of tina
impenetrabls srmoring of eternal alertnes
of pretended non-alertness, unintelligen
simplicity and unassailable repellance, tha
have protected them through the centurie
with wonderful isolation from every rossibl
race encroachment. To day, and right her
among us, they pursue, concerning the mos
absurdly trivial happenings, precisely th
same suspicious exolusiveness, wary and a
unnecessary precaution, and what would ap
pear to US as outrageously silly fncsse, ths
they did when battling for their very live
against continental edicts of exterminatio
in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.
l <hia rooard THAR raracaukfap and 0varnau&io
are often laughably ridiculous. Counties
| little Incidents of this sort have happened
my own wanderings among them, all to
trivial to relate, yet all. enabling sure juds
ment of noteworthy characteristic. o.
instance, illustrative Of them all, I may b
pardoned for repeating.
had been generously entertained by sew
raj families Of gypsy friends In the spring {
1878 near Chicago, in the little village {
Lyons, on the Desplaines river, sleepy, oil
and nest like place which the gipsies muo
frequent. Thinking to return their good
, ness, proposed trip to the theater. The
consented only after great urging; and, lool
ing forward to rare treat In the enjoymer
of their enjoyment and wonderment. on re
turning to the oity bought and mails
them twenty seats for Wednesday evening
performance at the Haverly theater, then o.
cupyiug the site of tho present First nation
al bank. Full of delighted expectancy I Al
, rived at the theater, only to find the seats
, had purchased for my gypsy friends entirel
flled with ordinary city folk. After sittin
out part of the play, I lefs the place disal
! pointed and disgusted, not, however, will
, out catching glimpse of one of the gipsi'
il lurking near the entrance, who, as soon
{ he was seemingly sure Of having seen me
! my discontinue, skulked away In the darl
| ness.
Business called me away from the city Il
, a few days, but this desertion by my gipl
, proteges worried me-. Hoping for some oil
to their action, when returned applied
, the box Office, where learned, and wit
some asperity from the management. that n
: gipsiss, who had kept the audience In an III
, roar the entire.evening of their visit, on r
, ceiving the tickets by mail at Lyons. had In
mediately sent ono Of their number to Il
) city and secured an exchange of seats fro
! Wednesday evenings performance to that f
: Friday evening. could thus see that the
! natural and Interchangeable race suspicion ar
q caution of one not of their people, though
: tried friend, prompted the cunning ruse
first defeat my entire plan, then set a wate
upon me to observe whether nay action W
consistent with genuinely disappointt
' friendly interest, and then to deceive me
9 to the true motive Of such action. The la