Morning journal and courier., 1890-03-27
THE GYPSIES.

Their Characteristics and Their Modes Of Life i'm the Austrian Em- pire.
 There are in Hungary no fewer than eigh- ty thousand gypsies, and some two hundred thousand in the neighborhood of Roumania, says the London Standard. Ths Archduke Joseph, commander of the Hungarian Hon. we'd army, is visiting their settlements one after another; and to his thorough knowl- edge of their language, as we'll as to exalt rank, 1t may be attributed that the gypsies, who wantonly deceive other savants, reveal their secrets without hesitation to the ''royal gypsy" as the archduke allows himself jo- kingly to be called. He published, some time ago, as the first result of his studies, 8 grammar and dictionary of the gypsy lan- guage, the most complete book on the sub- ject in existence; and he read paper 8 few days ago before the Ethnographical society at Buda Pesth on the origin and habits of his proteges, which will shortly appear in print in the late Grown Prince Rudolph's serial work, "Austria- Hungary with Pen and Pen- cil"
 The Arohduke Joseph supports Grell- mann's theory of the Hindustani origin of | all gypsies by comparing the two languages. He says, for instance. that the word for ''snow," which in Hindustani is "hima," is l in the gypsy language "him," and the word for "carrier," in the one language "laya." is both languages 'Himalaya" means the "bearer of snow." Many other instances of ! the same sort are given, which 1t is unneces- sary to quote, as it is no longer doubted that the slopes of the Himalaya mountains were the home of all the gypsies at present in Europe. where their first appearance is traced | to the year 1417. It is of far greater interest | to learn something of their views and habits.
 The earth (phno) has existed, in their opin- ion, from eternity, and is the origin of every | thing that is good. God they call "devil, "
 and the devil they call "beng." They feaI
 both and curse both when they are in bad luck, or in case of the death of one of their
 which can be chased away by throwing
 brandy, or, in default of that liquor, water, upon the body or upon the grave, whenever
 they pass it. They swear by their dead, and
 that is their most solemn oath, which is rig
 orously kept in honor; they do not, however
 believe in a life after death. Their language has no word for paradise and none for heav. en, but the home of the devil (beng ipe) they
 know.
 The religion they profess. either for con
 venience sake, or under compulsion, has no
 real hold upon them. They embrace the
 religion of the people who allow them to set.
 tie in their midst, and call themselves "Christisns," but remain in reality hsathens
 cheriehing the traditions of the fire worship CTS, which they seem once to have been
 The baptism of child, for instance, as per.
 formed by the priest, has no real value for
 them till the eldest of the clan has held the
 babe over a large open fire. That is the real
 reception into the community, whatever out.
 ward religion they may profess.
 Of the gypsies in Hungary, there are
 twenty-four thousand orthodox, twenty
 three thousand Greek Catholics, twenty
 thousand Roman Catholics and nine thou
 sand Protestants of the Helvetian confession
 which answers pretty well the proportion o1
 creeds in the districts which tolerate them ) the Protestants being less inclined to permit
 them to remain in their vicinity. The gyp
 sies are generally held up as bad examples o1
 superstition, witchcraft and similar failings
 Each of their colonies is ruled by an elder
 who In Hungary, Roumania and Bohemia if called vejvadu. The elder has the power o' punishing, and he usually uses the stick fol more serious crimes, resorting for lesser onei to boxing the ears of the culprit. His au thority is supreme, and it need not be tn, eldest man who is raised to the dignity of , F veivadu, but in Hungary at least it must b. one who can read and write, in order to de , fend his people before the authorities. Tn veivadu baptizes after the gypsy fashion, a already mentioned, and of course he per 3 forms the marriage ceremony and the buris D rites.