Oxford eagle., 1890-08-21

skilled workers in gold and silver
Usually they are Jockeys or traderi
or dealers in livestock. and in rare
cases they have been known to sill the
soil In sene countries they have &C
worthless, poverty-stricken vagabonds.
The old women tell fortunes and the
young sing love-songs
They have no religion, and most
writers place them below the heather.
ascribing to them no principles. and
! charging them with serving no god but
the god OF gain and fraud They have
no word in their language for God OF
for immortality. But outwardly, and
for their own advantage. they are ready
to adopt any religion, rs circumstance
may require.
Their music Is wild and weird. and in
some countries IL is proficient with
power and beauty. Some of the great
est masters OF the violin known are
found among the gypsies of Hungary
and Bohemia
The gypsy language is termed Ro-
mani. has no alphabet and no literature,
except few miserable songs and some
folklore. which are passed from mouth
to mouth Altogether. the entire stock
OF Romani words does not exceed five
thousand, though the number known to
any individual is small.
The Romani tribes consider IL curse
IL one Of their race marries any one not
of their own people. A common feat
ure in the form of marriage is the
breaking of a fiower-covered pitcher by
the chief. who from the fragments Ia
they many or few, argues the future of
the bridal pair-s
There are many curious gypsy prac-
tices. especially those relating to death
and burial, such rs waking the corpse,
burning the decedent's effects, the fast
ing of the kinsfolk. and many others.
A most interesting form is tho custom
complied with when gypsy wife or
child forever renounces the favorite del
icacy of dead husband or father. Like
motives prompt the dropping of the
dead ones name entirely ou, of use.
and the survivors who happen to bear
the name change is to another. Another
practice is the leaving at cross-road of
a handful OF grass or leaves. or heap of
stones, a stick or some such mark to
guide the stragglers OF the band
Many attempts have been made to
educate them, but they appear to have
failed They are content to live in tents
or In holes In the ground, AMI wander
in companies from place % place as
fugitives or vagabonds. yet in Transyl-
vania they have form of coz cstitution.
being governed by chiefs To this dig
nifty every one is eligible who is of
family descended from former chief;
but the preference is usually given to
those who have the most wealth. or Who
are of large stature and not past the
meridian of life.
Scott in his introduction to Guy
Mannering.' describes the habits and
life of the Scottish gypsies, and his
famous character of Meg Merrilies Is
founded upon no less a parsonage than
the noted gypsy named Jean Gorion.
whose granddaughter, Madge Gordon.
became the queen Of the gypsy clans
In is5o there were supposed to Be
about five million gypsies in TIE world.
though OF later years they have greatly
diminished OF the seven OF eixh.
hundred thousand now believed 10 BE-
scattered over Europe. more than half
are found in the valleys OF the Danube.
and here they are most civilized. and
for four hundred years have been an i'm
portant element Of the population.
They have been condeune and in
some countries the laws were so s,rin-
gent that II they remained one month
they were executed without even A form
OF trial In the reigns OF Henry VIII.
and Elizabeth the gypsy tribes were
marked out for general persecution in
England
In 1929 four gypsies confessed. under
torture. TO having eaten \ friar, a pill
grim and q woman of their tribe: and
in i7sa forty-fve Hungarian gypsies
were beheaded, quartered or hanged on
a like nonstrous charge. First racked
till they confessed the crime of mur-
der. they were then brought to the spot
where their victims were said 20 be
buried. but when no bodies appeared
they were racked again. I'VE ate
them,' was the despairing cry But in
very rare instances has 1t been known
that they have eaten human flesh.
The destinies of this wonderful people
we know not, but can we not say with
Dean Milmen:
"As of all mankind. they are in the
hands of the All-Wise Ruler of the uni
verse His DEGREES will be accomplished.
His goodness and His wisdom yindi-
cated-'-Joseph H. Willis, in n. Y.
Ledger.