Morning journal and courier., 1892-11-05

Their remote summer migrstions, consld
ering the difference In condition In favor
OF American gipsies, are quite as sxtraor-
binary as with our own. While / have
often known the American gipsy band of
three or four families to travel in sumptu-
GUS wagons from central Ohio to eastern
Maine, and return the same season; 1t In
truly as interesting to meet, as have met,
London gipsies, who travel with lumber
| ing vans or donkeys and carts, in the most
remote mining villages of Cornwall, among
the statesmen" In the hills of Cumber-
land, among the moorland villages of
Yorkshire, on the reedy shores of the Nor
folk "Broads," along the banks of the Till
and Tyne, on the southern slopes of the
Cheviot Hills, beside the lochs of the far
Hebrides, or nested against some old cla-
chan in the misty corries of the Scotti.h
| Highlands.
The evolution of the gipsy. or more
properly the rise of the gypsy, Is, though
slower, as certain here as 1t has been In
our country. With us hosts have gained
or are securing little properties. These
largely consist of fine farms, country
rn-stands, toll-gate privileges, tracts
o9cxoodland of which they are very fond,
livery and sales stables In the smaller
towns and villages, and, not infrequently,
extensive town properties, particularly
large sales stables In our own metropoli-
tan cities. ALI who are at all interested
In American gipsies, whatever may be the
hssty judgment from the appearance of
occasional dusty roadside bands, should
know, once for all, that as a class, or race,
they have become rich and prosperous;
and 1t must be borne in mind that no hu-
man beings 80 well know how to hide all
offensive semblance of wealth.
In q similar degree the last quarter of
fr1r has rrhf rfr1 ah
for the better with majority of all Lon |
don and English gipsies who have been
content to remain in their own land. |
While in England in 1867 had means of |
knowing from personal observation that |
almost universal squslor and wretchedness |
was characteristic of English and particu-
larly of London gipsies. No one can |
make of gipsy anything but gypsy; but |
generation of change here has effected
more marked advancement in q rugged |
prosperity with this than with any other |
lowly class. 1t has not seized him bodily !,
and in moment, or a year, or in decade, |
put fine clothing upon him and made the |
gipsy a man of sffsirs; but-somethipg,
as with the destitute Italians who have |
landed upon our shores, who we directly |
find as hawkers, willing laborers, restau-
rant keepers, newsboys, bootblscks, con-
trollers of retail and wholesale fruit and
nut trades, and on the high road to pros
perity, because they are quick witted and
willing to labor-the English gypsy has |
found, along with old makeshifts for live |
lihood, many new though rude occupations |
and means of getting on in the world, all |
after his own mind and heart.
To one not acquainted with the habits
and ways of these interesting folk, the old |
false notion still exists that they must one |
and all be thieving vsgsbonds. How else |
can they exist is asked by those willing /
to believe that rsgpicker, or q Russian |
Jew with pack on his back, can hoard
little earnings until he becomes sffiusnt. !
Should you follow one of these wandering |
families or bands from London In spring
time into every English, Welch or Scot
tish village to which its way is made, and
back again to it's winter haunt in London, !
1 doubt if you could discover an act of q
single member ssvoring more of dishones-
ty than fortune-te telling or cunning horse |
jockyiDg at fairs.
The cavslcade at it's outset may comprise |
one or more vans. These are, briefly de-
scribed, tiny houses upon wheels. They !
are drawn by donkeys, or often by broken |
down city tram horses which the gipsies
get in London for a song, and which with
care are finally transformed into excellent
cattle. Following these may be three or /
four, or half dozen. little donkey carts, |
after the fashion of the costermopgers' |
city carte. These will hold the real re-
sources of the band. An examination of
the latter would reveal almost enough ma
terisl in quantity, certainly enough in va
riety, to stock little country store.
This stock in trade has not been picked |
up at random In the London White |
chapel district there are great storehouses |
of Travellers Goods" Their owners, |
who find include wealthy gipsies, could
not continue in business without the gip-
sizes trade. The goods hsndl d are some
what similar to our American bargain
counter" odds and ends, especially in tin
ware and metal goods, hardware, crockery,
cheap oilcloths and household nick. nacks,
with the cosrsest of beads and gilded jew
elry. 1t would be revelation to ordinary
English tradesmen to realize the enormous
quantities of stuff annually disposed of in
this manner throughout England, Scot
land and Wales, and the integrity of these
gypsy wanderers where they ask and re-
ceive credit for their supplies, as they Of
ten do. Smaller Travellers Goods" stores
may be found near the Ball Ring in Bir-
minghsm, where carts may be refilled in
the lazy iourneyiDgs; but small shipments
from time to time are forwarded by rail
| from London.
have friends in the fruit and nut trade
in the Drury Lane quarter of London who
have supplied gipsies in all parts of the
provinces for the past twenty years. Half
| of this trade is done on credit, and the
fruiterers all inform me they have never
lost a penny at the hands of their thou
sands of gipsy small customers. ALI these
goods, fruits and nuts are hawked in little
villages and sold at fairs and on market
DAYS Indeed the English country fair of
to day would lose all its picturesqueness
and most of its attractions for younger
people were the pretty gipsy booths and
gipsy showmen withdrawn.
About the middle of the century, when
the British rural police act, which was d.
rected against gipsies and all wandering
folk of the road, came in force, we find
Borrow lamenting that the "gipsy had no.
where to lay his head" The oppressive
measure undoubtedly cent America fifty
thousand English gipsies within a period
of ten years. Indeed it almost eItirpated
gipsydom in Great Britain. But the com
ing gypsy soon saw a way to mend his for
tunes. He took out license to become
travelling merchant. 1.-TWO and sixpence"
gives him this right for the period of one
year He could still remain gipsy in eve
~ other particular. Insensibly and by de-
grees he actually became the fellow whose
vocation he originally assumed in order to
merely exist.
There gradually followed a system
among the wanderers of providing "Etpsy
ground" ON which to camp in safety from
the raids of the mounted constabulary.
Gipsies here and there who had got foot
ing and could be trusted bought or leased
bits of waste land, unused lanes, idle
tracts at the outskirts of cities and towns,
or camping rights in roomy old stable
yards These are in turn sublst to srriv-
ing pilgrims at from one shilling down to
a penny a day. And thus, with London