The morning call., 1890-06-29
Unassailable Repellance That Has
Characterized Them for
Centuries.
A LIFE OF MARKED CONTRASTS
A Cunning Ruse-The SecIusion of
the camp-There the Gypsy Has
Happy Heart, Radiant Face,
Laughing Eye, a Waggish
Tongue and Many Lishtsome
Ways, Merry, Carefree and Jubi-
liant as the Birds.

| Special Correspondence of THE SUNDAY CALL.
| @SAMP (NEAR DOVER, n. j., June 10
| bSsSS There is something truly remark.
| ssnDII able about the almost Interchangeable
reserve of the gypsy in the presence Of any
| other than his own people, and OF his sin
gular shifts and efforts to be as one dumb
! Catch him in city or trading in village,
or come upon him IN any sort of mixed
company, and his reticence IS so marked
that the ordinary observer would set him
down as Unfortunately stupid. This habit is
universal among these people, and they
break through it only under great stress OF
badgering or necessity. A wagon load
of gypses once halted in front of a
wagon-maker's In a small Pennsylvania
town where l frequently make my home,
| and while one of them tried to dicker
for sulky for one-half its value, really
intelligent clergyman in the presence of
admiring townspeople put set OF stereo-
typed questions 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 we're so bad as to smile at him, so
dumb as not TO answer him, and so down.
right wicked as 10 give him no chance for
an argument; whereupon the good man lost
his temper entirely, and consigned them to
eternal peTditiOn in one compact and can
onical sentence. Standing next the team
and thinking to have little fun at the
parsons expense, l said wickedly in an
undertone to particularly lively old dame
in the wagon:
A shan gaugie-a grye chorl Tell him
so and jaw the drom," or, in plain English {:
The man is bad one himself-a horse
thief. Tell him so and 90 away.
The woman gave me quick look OF half
inquiry and recognition, which l returned
with all good assurance. Then she called
the gypsy from the wagOn-shop by a word.
He came out nimbly, looked quickly at the
crowd, and sprang into the wagon. Just as
they started rapidly away she turned full
on the clergyman, no WAS still forenslcally
disposing Of their souls in different forms
of future torture and said, quietly: Hits
said ye,re no better nor hOrse-thlef yer
self. Howsumdever hus be, mebby ye
might be a-tendin' yer own soul wi profit"
Everybody was too astonished to laugh
and the good man sorely felt that his pow
der had been burned for naught Ashamed
as was at my own part In the retOrt, my
establishment was in the
UNHEARD-oF DEPARTURE
OF the brave gypsy rule to never betray
spirit or the brightness of Indignation un-
der the most exasperating circumstances.
Full retrlbution came in learned DISGUISE
ton from the clergy man on gyDsles, the
burden of which was that gypsy writer's
and students were in league TO give the race
place as the most canny and cunning of
men, when everything proved them the
most branless and stupid people Of earth.
Nor was his idea an uncommon one.
That it generally prevails is not singular
when 1t is remembered that their whole life
motive seems to be to appear TO all but
themselves Just that sort of people. 1t is
only with the most ignorant of country side
folk or among those not of their race who
are thoroughly known and have been un-
Qualifedly tested that they relax from this
sodden manner and pretense Of brainlesS-
ness. Test this at any time and in any way
and you will find il TO be true. AS is al
most true of one or two other races we have
with us they have no race sympathy with
us; they resist all association with us, they
cannot bear any manner of intermingling OF
mixing up. All people not gypsies are, to
their notion, made for them to forage from,
to subsist upon. Therefore, and because
this is true of the whole race, and not ex-
ceptionally true Of part OF 1t, or OF indi-
vidualS, their ways among us are, and for
ever will be, the exact opposite OF what
they are among themselves. PIetense, at
fectation, deceit, then, are become their
nature. Nor must these qualities be reck-
Oued against them as parts of their real
selves. Foxes may be quite sociable and
jolly and generous at home. But the gypsy
nature is the fox nature, limitless in
degree, in all that side of him, in
all things which must be presented
to all other mankind. That is the
very essence of gypsyism. Rapidly as they
are increasing among us, because all condi-
tons for the same are Infinitely more favor
able than the world ever offered elsewhere,
large as is the wealth they are pillng up in
farm and city property, they do not lose an
iota of that impenetrable armoring of
eternal alertness, of pretended n0n-alert-
ness, uniDtelligent simplicity and unassail-
able repellancef that have protected them
through the centuries with wonderful isoa-
ton from every possible race encrOach-
ment. To-day. aud right here among US,
they pursue, concerning the most absurdly
trivial happenings, precisely the same suSpi-
cious eXclusiveness, wary and all unneces-
sary precaution, and what would appear TO
us as outrage0usly silly finesse, that they
did when battling for their very lives
against continental edlets OF determination
in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. In
this regard their precaution and over
caution are
OFTEN LAUGHABLY RIDICULOUS.
Countless little incidents of this sort have
happened In my own wanderings among
them, all too trivial to relate. yet all en-
abling a sure judgment of noteworthy
characteristic. One instance, illustrative of
them all. may be pardoned for repeating.
l had been generously entertained by sew
eTal families of gypsy friends in the spring
OF 1878. near chicago In the little village oil
Lyons, ON the Desplanes River, sleepy,
old and nest-like place which the gypsies
much frequent. Thinking to return their
goodness, l proposed a trip to the theater.
They consented only after great urging;
and, looking forward to a rare treat in the
enjoyment OF their enjoyment and wonder
ment, on returning to the city | bought and
mailed them twenty seats for Wednesday
evenings performance at the Haverly Thea
ter, then occupying the site OF the present
First National Bank Full of delighted ex-
pectancy arrived at the theater, only to
fiud the seats had purchased for my gypsy
friends entirely filled with ordinary city
folk. After sitting out part of the play l
left the place disappointed aud disguised,
not, however. without catching glimpse
of one of the gypsies lurking near the
entrance, who, as soon as he was seemingly
sure of having seen me in my discontinue,
skulked away in the darkness.
Business called me away from the city
for a few days. but this desertion by my
gypsy proteges worried me. Hoping for
some clew to their action when / returned
l applied to the box-office, where l learned,
and with some asperity from the manage
ment, that my gypsies, who had kept the