The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1892-12-02
wIN1rR WIZ THE eYPsIEs.

Lane,-Industrious and Honest.
LONDON, Nov. 5th.-To me there is
something inexpressibly pathetic in the
unvarying good humor and kind heart
edness of English gypsies when their
hard and bitter though selt-chosen mode
Of life is considered. And this is mo-
where on earth made so plain and en-
phatic as when you find, them IN ana
about London, all the brightness of the
summer roads and lanes but memory,
and the cruel derrivations of winter
generally a win el's battle for existence
with a million other lOwlv-Starlng
them sOuarely in their stOical faces.
Crafty, wary, hard. unworthy yaga-
bond though you deem him, as he CON
fronts You and mankind in this battle
for life and those he loves, he truly has
another side, a CHEEKY, good and manly
one, too, that, without one 1ota OF The
prompting to which all modern society
stands indebted, often CLOVIS with kind,
ness, generosity, help illness, ,.gco1
cheer and a spirit of positive loneliness.
An ugly word is never heard in gyH-
sy camp or band. A selfish act is never
seen. The eternal goading of mean
woman, the brutal obscenity of bad
man. the hateful iealOusies of neigh
bors. the contemplate rivalres of pre-
tended friends, each and all are as I'M
known as poison in the pure air OF
heaven they breathe in tent or upon the
road.
There is a quality of sincerity and ten
derness in their dOings with each other
that is ever simple, childlike and beautl-
full. Their mirth, merriment and Joliity
are all considerate. Raillery is toler-
ant; wit never murderous weapon.
With them good cheer is seldom license;
merry making leaves little sting; liberty
never knows lewdneSs
Ignorant as they may be of your
books; obstinately as they refuse the
civilization of which we boast; secl ct
ly proud as they are of the oStracism
which brands them as an outlaw race;
heathenish as you must consistently call
them because they hold your creeds in
contemplating are yet more than the
peers of any living people in everything
tender and true and loyal growing into
and out of the domestic relation, and in
all that which yields, with law or force,
and as if uncOnsciously, the helpful
goodness which ever prompts and al
ways exceeds exact justice to ones tel-
lows.
Following up the trail and traits OF
gypsies while in their London winter
quarters brought me originally among
the almost as curious cOstermongel
folk. and found that there were hun.
dreds of gypsy families owning kindred
ties to cosiers who sought quarters
among this class and at once fell into
their manner of work and ways. Ac'
quaintance and confidence soon brought
me to many of these almost unknown
gypsy and eOster communities in the
very heart of London.
Two OF them are very interesting and
L, Il nninf oh ~
London up Holborn way and should
come to ancient Furnivals Inn, you
might note that its decreplt back hangs
over the entrance to narrow lane
This is Leather lane. Scarcely wide
enough beneath the back windows OF
FurniVat7s Inn to permit the entrance OF
adankey and cart, it gradually widen'
toward TheObold's cow, and to the east
and west is itself entered by almos
numbeTie6s closes and courts. No cas-
nal frequenter Oi Hofourn would notice
it, but the locality is enc of the denses
in London in point of population
Among tile thousands of lOwly beings
living here are fully 500 costermongers
and in the winter time half as many gyp.
sizes. The great resort of all these foil
is the Leather Bottle" public hous'
within the shadowy precinct. There
are many odd places and studies hel
The former class rather pride them.
selves on their utter recklessHess in thu
matter of gambling, carOUSlng ant
drinking. While they believe in entire
harmony with their Romany friends anC
possess aceTtain respect for theiT white
companions which permits of no tritiing
it was easy to see that from the coste
standpoint of ethics the tawny folk arr
not considered fairly progressive The!
alt TOO quiet. They attend closely t.
work ana minimize the Ill effects of Pov
erty in London.
''Gor bli mel" said friend coste1,
SOW can We ave comfort hOut o. yel
neighbors, less ye can 'elp carry EN-
'ome now an agin from the Leather
Bottle? Strike me lucky! If hi dOan't
believe they'd rather heat whites thar
lick pewter! Clicking pewter" il
must be known. is coster for guzZlinG
flour ale), Gods truth, but We awsk one
on 'em for the loan o. a bob (shilling)
for few pot at tn Bottle an theil
bloody heyes stick hout like bleedin
muscles, Cor bli me, so they doP'
Most of the gypsies in this locality
live from half dozen to score in q
room. They possess the scantiest array
of household utensils. Their native
ability to make the most of little enables
them to patch up few seats and they
sleep comfortably and cheerily packed
together like behring's. Some of theiI
bodies are wrecked beyond description
to one who is unable to comprehend
their own gladness at getting on at all
They work hard and long, being first at
the great markets and last to leave the
streets. Handbarrows are used by most
of these, The mother, father and the
grown scns and daughters all share IN
severe work of pushing Cne barrow oil
cart. Many will coIcr t.'":enty or thirty
miles a day in theier iomride..
= lle lit,le folks left at home work on
baskets, color leaves and wild grasses OF
which they have brought in supply OF
material from their summer wander
ings, and which are sold to the lOwly
for mantel ornaments, or whittle Ou
skewers for meat stalls. All do some
thing and earn something. If there is {
loss in one days trade, they work the
harder the next. All thus keep from
starvation, which is more than many
who are not heathens can do in London
and some even get through the hard
wet, fOggy, sleety, bone-wringing win
ter with their lives and a few shillingl
to the good.
A few who huddle in these congestcC
districts have the regulation coster car
and the helpful donkey, and most curl