The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1901-12-13
WHO AND WHAT THE GYPSY IS.
Origin and Life Ways of Their Pecu-
liar People.

4dA COpAOs
The production Of NJ. Paderwski S
new opera, "Manru, brings up the
Gypsy once more as a subject of
romance. And now the question
recurs: Who is he? What is he?
So much nonsense has been writ
ten about him and such a veil of
secrecy drawn over the origin that
to most people he is now what he
was to science, mystery. To put it
briefly: The Gypsy is Hindu. He
is descended from a tribe who emf
grated from India about the IF
tenth century. and scattered
through ASIA and Europe. He talks
a language which is closely allied
TO Sanskrit, and is, if anything,
older than that tongue
The word gypsy" is a corrup-
ton of Egyptian, which is the
name ignorantly bestowed on them
by the English when the tribe hrst
appeared in the British Isles. In
France they are known as Bohem-
ians, from the false idea that they
were natives of Bohemia. Zincali,
and zigenner, as they are
severallY called in Spain, Italy and
Germany, are different forms of the
same name, which Mr.. Leland
traces to an ancient sun myth of the
tribe, the story OF Chen-gan. Not
to venture on such misty ground as
that, it is interesting to learn that
whenever or wherever we find them
in history the Gypsies are practi-
cally the same as we know them
to-day, The men are horsetraders,
fiddlers, the women
fortune tellers, peddlers and
dancers. In the Orient they tattoo.
In Russia and Hungary they are
famous for their music. Wherever
we find them, it is as wandering
tribe, dishonest toward the world
at large, but united among them
selves. !
Their language Romany - is
spoken, in varying dialects, by every |
branch of the tribe the world over.
This language, however, is fast dy-
ng, and in few more generations
will be extinct. The English dia-
ect of 1t is rude and incomplete, a
ew thousand forms being the most
n possession of any Gypsy scholar,
while only a few hundred are in
ommon use.
The Gypsies have practically no
eligion. AS with most dwellers in
he wild places of nature, supersti-
ion takes the place of faith in their
Minds. They believe in the efficacy
f charms, and an amulet is regard
d by them as priceless gift. A
gypsy family of my acquaintance
we're made perfectly happy by a
coin which hung around
he neck of their youngest child.
"Adovo kairs kusto bak" Chat
makes good lucky, as the old grand
mother said in Romany. The same
Id woman thrust out her hand Ito
,e dukkered" (have the fortune
old), thinking that |, as Romany
must surely be a chovihant
witch) as we'll.
Wonderful stories are told of gyp-
y magic, but the wonders they
'ften perform are easily attribu-
able to that power of intuiti, II
which gypsies, in common with
over animals, possess to a great
egree. A gypsy fortune teller re-
ards her own palmistry as pure
umbug tor the deception of the
'gorgios" (gentiles, as they call
hose outside their tribe).
The family life OF the gypsies, or
eoms, as the name is in their own
is the most interesting
art of gypsydom. To speak the
kalo jib' (black language or Ro-
1any) is to be sure of welcome in
very tent, and / have visited a
core of gypsy homes in all parts OF {
he country. In no single case have
found them otherwise than united
nd happy among themselves; the
between husbands and
lives and of parents for their
Iiildren being wonderfully strong.
Me old are much considered, and
i almost every family there is an /
Id grandmother who cherishes the
,omany language and traditions.
Some of them possess stores of
ncient silver and jewelry, brought
rom England and carefully guard
as heirlooms. The devotion of {
ne gypsies to then families and I
-ibe is the cause of their survival I
5 a separate race after SO many |
snturies OF wandering and separa- I
on. I
The wandering instinct with {
hich we always connect the gypsy !
anne is. indeed, his strongest char t
rteristic. AS Mother Cooper once
lid to me, I'm winter time we can I
' adrey to gay Give in the city,, '