The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1907-11-17


/ authorities and people Of the country
around Pressburg that the ArchduHe
/ was reluctantly compelled 10 abandon
the scheme, % make other disposition
OF the villages which he had built for
his pFotegecs, and To consent TO their
| dispersal BY the police.
CIannIsbness Their Virtue.
The archduke. to whom the world owes
the best Tsigane grammar and dictionary
in existence. and who succeeded in COM
pietely mastering, not one but several
OF the dialects Of their. Romany Ian
guage. used TO relate many interesting
stories OF his experiences with his pro-
teges. on one occasion he asked several
gypsy women whom he met while out
riding 10 tell him his fortune, which
they readily consented to do. So soon,
I however, as he addressed them IN their
own language they declined 10 proceed,
and declared that they would not cheat
one OF their own" Being explicitly asked
by him whether they believed Ia telling
fortunes. they replied laughhingly, mo,
that is good enough for the noagypsies."
On another occasion the archduke. just
before the battle of SadoWa in 1866. was
.
he was lodging. by a gypsy. IN the mid
die OF the night. When the man was
brought into his presence. the dusSy Wis
itOr informed the archduke IN ROmany
that the enemy was approaching, with
the object Of surprising the Austrians.
The Outposts have not heard anything
suspicious" the archduke remarked
No" replied the Zingari., because
the enemy Is still long way of.
How do you know this2'
Come % the window" exclaimed the
gypsy. leading the aTchduke forward 10
70 the narrow opening In the rough wall,
and directing his gaze 20 the dark sky. IL
lumiued by the silver rays OF the moon.
You see those birds flying over the
woods toward the southT'
Yes, replied the archduke, Il see
them. What OF it?'
What OF it, retorted the gypsy. DO
not birds sleep as well as men? They
would certainly not fly about AT night
time thus had they not been disturbed
The enemy is marching through the
woods southwards. and mas frightened
and driven the birds before It."
The archduke at once ordered the out
posts reinforced. and his camp alarmed.
Two hours later the ourpOsts We're fight
ing fercely with the foe, and the prince
Was able 10 realize thai MS camp and
his division had been saved from surprise
and destruction By the keen observation
and sagacity Of gypsy.
Origin Probably Hindu.
The archduke used always % favor
the argument according to which the
Tsiganes are Of Hindu origin and bail
from the slopes OF the HImilayas. point
ing out that thu word for snow. which
IN Hindustani IS "hlmi." is in the gypsy
language him" and that the word for
TO carry or TO bear" IN Hindustanl
Is 'laya." and in Romany "Ieva," so
that IN both languages Himilaya means
the bearer OF snow" Their real re-
ligion. such as il is. is IRE worship. and
every chile Immediately after its birth
Is virtually initiated as a member Of the
tribe by being held by the elder Of the
tribe over a large open fire. They do not
believe Ia a life after death. Their Ian
guage has no word for paradise OF for
heaven. God they call devil" and the
devil they cali beng" They fear both.
and class them with the good and evil
spirits. They swear by their dead. and
that is their most solemn oath. which is
vigorously kept in honor.
Roughly speaking. there are about
10000 OF them in Europe. although some
students OF the Romany question place
their number al as high as 10000. Aus
tria and Hungary, ROumania. Russia
and Spain are credited with the most OF
Them. There are many also IN France.
England, Wales, and IN Scandinavia
They are 20 be found I'm Brazil, ia the
United states. and Canada. in Persia.
Egypt, and Asiatic Turkey. and in all OF
these countries their habits. traditions.
beliefs. and fundamental principles OF
language are identical They are indif-
ferent 60 the laws OF the country in
which they may happen 20 De. render
Ing obedience Only 70 their own chiefs
and TO their own ethics.
Way he Ancient SIgynnae.
IN spite 81 the most extensive re-
searches, nothing positive is known as
20 their first appearance. and all sorts
Ok theories are current about the mat
ter. a number OF scientists insisting that
the Tsiganes Of the present day are
Identical with the Sigyunae OF Hero
dotus- Not, however, until the fourteenth
century did they commence 20 figure con
spicuOusly in the records Of the day. and
10 the annals OF the time as Tsiganes. as
Lingarl as GitanOs as BOhemiaus, and
as gypsies, and IL Is a noteworthy fact
that IN every instance where they are
mentioned. the reader Is left TO infer
that they were not In any sense Of the
word newcomers, but had been known
as a people for several hundred wears
previously. And throughout history down
unto the present time they have always
been described much IN the same f.an-
ner. as a race Of mysterious origin. In
capable Of assimilation with people OF
other natiOnalities. as refractory 10 the
laws and customs OF the country I'm
which they Gwelt. as dishonest. aud in
one word, as thoroughly undesirable