Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-06-10
G|PS|ES IN new YORK
Many Of the Wagon Wander
ers Spend Autumn There.
FOND OF CITY SCENES
SOME ENJOY ATTENDING THE
THEATER OCCASIONALLY.
Others Are Frequent Church Goers-
Story Of the prince of the Gipsies"
Great Horse Traders.
FOND OF CITY SCENES

Written for The Star.
You might think the immediate vicinity
of the biggest city in the land an odd re-
gion for gipsies to select for a rendezvous
but the truth is that more gipsies are to
be found in and about New York. most
summers, than anywhere else in this coun-
try.
And why not, should like to know
queried a fiashing-eyed. highly colored
weIl-rounded Ronany woman-too old to
be called young. and too young to be called
old-sitting in the doorway of the gorgeous
wagon she calls her home, temporarily
halted in the borough of the Bronx. and
well within the city limits, few days ago.
We're civilized. if we are gipsies We're
fond of the good things OF the big cities,
If we do like better to travel about a bit
and sleep where the air is good than to be
tied down in one place and to coop our
selves up in the prison cells you folks who
live In fats called bed rooms, when we
want to take our rest at night.
These Gipsies Go to the Theater.
You folks that live in houses don't I'M
derstand us at ALL, she went on You
think we are ignorant and low down; that
we never read; that we pay no attention
to the ways of the world and its doings.
But you're wrong
I'VE don't pay enough attention to books
to make us forget some other things that
we think more important but we all-that
is, all in our party-see that our children
learn to read and write, and some of us
send them to school, regularly, several
weeks every year, moving our camps but
little through the whole long fall some
times. for that very purpose. We always
have the morning papers every day when
we're camping close by New York. or any
other city, and we like the theater as well
al most folk.
Does that surprise you? 1t needn't Is
there any reason why shouldn't like to
see a good play, just because we tell for
tunes and swap horses for a living, and
manage to get along without paying rent?
We dress up like other folk when we go
to the show, of course. You wouldn't pick
out our lasses for college girls If you were
to see them in the theater, nor yet for swell
society women, but you'd never take them
for gipsies, and you'll never see them sit
ting in poor seats. Why should they? They
have the money to buy good ones, the
same the rest of you, and they come by
it as honestly; more honestly If your news
papers tell the truth about the way some
of your multi-millionaires have made their
wealth.
Proud of the Money They Earn.
Yes. we get most of our money dealing in
horses and telling fortunes. Need we be
ashamed of that? Why should we be? Do
you expect your Mr.. e. H. Hartman. or
your Dr. Seward Webb, or your Mckay
Twombly to be ashamed because they buy
and sell horses? OF course not.
1--WE buy our horses or trade for them so
as to make money II we can. of course; but
your business do all their buying
and selling on the same plan If they didn't
they'd all fail soon enough.
Our men often buy their horses down.
town in the big city horse markets. the
same as any other dealers who furnish the
farmers with horses. AS live a good
deal cheaper than some other horse dealers,
can undersell such dealers. If we couldn't.
we couldn't live, of course
Were a good deal like other folks, after
all, and we know the world good deal bet
ter than some. We have seen most of this
country as it really Is, and not In glimpses,
as you see II when you travel on fast rail-
road trains. We have Travelled pretty well
you Americans who travel knows it as we'll
as we. Do we call ourselves English? No.
nor Americans, either; just gipsies; some of
us were born on that side of the water and
some on this and we think we are good
citizens on either side.
As Church Members.
Don't you suppose we'd be in trouble
with the law II we weren't fairly decent?
I do, and you know 1t. We have to be
more careful of the appearance of evil
than most people; folks are so prejudiced
against the gipsies.
I'VE In this camp all believe In the estab-
lished church-you call 1t the Episcopal
Church. We often attend services and we