Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1902-01-02
SOMETHING ABOUT HIS HISTORY
AND HABITS.
PAoEREWsKrs NEW OPERA
The Name Gypsy a Corruption of the
Word Egyptian-The Romany Lam
guage-A Tribe With Practically
no Religion-Some Interesting
Stories of Their Life

| New York Times:-The production
of NJ. Paderewskis 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 bees written
about him and such a veil of secrecy
drawn over his origin that to most
people he is now hat he once was to
+, science, a mystery. To put it briefly:
The Gypsy is a Hindu. He is de
scended from a tribe who migrated
from India about the fifteenth CEN
tury, 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 corruption of
Egyptian" which is the name igno-
rantly bestowed on them by the Eng
lish when the tribe first appeared in
the British Isles. I'm France they are
known as Bohemians, from the false
idea that they were natives of Bo-
hernia. Zincah, Zingari, and Zigeu-
ner as they are severally called in
Spain, Italy and Germany, are different
forms OF the same name, which Mr.
Leland traces TO am ancient sun
myth of the tribe, the story of Chen
gan. Not to venture on such misty
ground as that, it lis interesting to
learn that whenever or wherever we
find them in history the Gfpsies are
practically the same as we know them
today. The men are horse traders
iblacksmiths, folders, 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 lis
"a wandering tribe, dishonest toward
the world at large, but united among
themselves.
Their Language spoken,
in varying dialects, by every branch
of the tribe the world over. This
language, however, is fast dying out,
and in a few more generations will be
extinct. The English dialect of it is
rude and incomplete, few thousand
forms being the most III possession of
any Gypsy scholar, while only a few
hundred are in common use.
The Gipsies have practically no
religion. AS with most dwellers in
the wild places of nature. superstition
takes the place of faith in their minds.
They believe in the efficacy of
charms. and an amulet is regarded by
them as a priceless gift A Gypsy
family OF my acquaintance were made
perfectly happy by d worthless coin
which hung around the neck of their
youngest child.
"Adovo kairs kustO bak." (that
makes good luck) as the old grand
mother said in Romany. The same old
woman thrust out her hand ito be
dukkered,' (have the fortune told,)
thinking that /, as a Romany scholar,
must surely be chovihani (switch)
as we'll
Wonderful stories are told of Gypsy
magic" but the wonders they often
perform are easily attributable to that
power of intuition which Gipsies, in
common with lower animals. possess
to great degree. A Gypsy fortune
teller regards her own palmistry as
pure humbug, for the deception of the
"gorgios," (gentiles. as they call those
outside their tribe).
The family life of the gipsies, or
Roms, as the name is in their own
langrage, is the most interesting part
OF ga ydom. To speak the "kalo jib"
(black language or Romany) is to be
sure of a welcome in every tent, and
Ihave visited score of Gypsy homes
in all parts of the country. In no
single case have found them other