Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1914-04-06
WITH THE ENGLISH GYPSIES.

Following is an account of an Amer
lean woman's experience with gypsles
she met while passing vacation last
year with a party of friends tramping
through England:
We have always been interested In
gypsies and as nearly all that We ever
came in contact with in the United
States spoke English. we decided that
England must be full of gypsies--and
1t is. So last year when we were
planning a tramping trip through
England and Scotland we determined
incidentally to make a study of the
English Romany in his native haunts,
and we found our quest interesting,
though decidedly unproductive of ro-
nance, beauty or poetry. The Eng
lish gypsies at home are not particu-
larly attractive. They ere rugged
ana healthy, but dirty and unkempt.
We always found them taciturn and
inhospitable. They never once invit-
ed us TO partahe Of the fruits Of. their
campfire. though they might just be
sitting about for tea. The advent OF
visitor seemed to be looked upon as
an intrusion, and they Immediately be-
came silent and sullen.
We found gypsies all the way from
Surrey to the heart of Scotland and
never once did we see single horse
among them that looked as If 1t could
hold it's head up or even walk fast,
which is something in which the Eng
fish Romany differs radically from the
American, for the gypsies we knew at
home always had good horses about
their camp and were famous as shrewd
dealers in horsefiesh.
Their chief business in England
seems to be the making of willow
baskets, and they are very skilful at
it, turning out some fine strong ham,
pers, of which we bought several be-
sides some lighter and more decora-
tive baskets.
Usually the gypsy families had
mean apologies for tents and scarce
~ any comforts, sleeping on straw or
sometimes on the bare ground. once we
came upon three old people. two wom-
en- and one man sitting over wretch
ed fire in q tiny dirty tent and all
smoking pipes. At first they would
not answer us at all, but finally one
of the women grunted out reply to
us, but the man never once turned
his eyes our way.
Away up in the Cumberland noun
tains we came across a quaint camp
one day in the early morning as the
mists were clearing off the mountains
and the trees and grass were still wet
with dew The family consisted of five
people, and they had little low white
tent set up carelessly, with the sides
held down by stones. They were
others.
and the woman even smiled shy
smile when I praised her plump sun
burned baby. We watched them get
breakfast, and it seemed as If they
approached the poetic a little.
The only really festive outfit that
we saw was not far from Leeds.
This family or clan had gayly paint
ed van and there were several chill
dren who were well dressed. The
women wore gayly colored wrappers
and had red ribbon bows in their hair
They made a business of fortune tell
ing and went about from one large
town or city to another When we
approached two of the little gypsy
girls were feeding a pet donkey with
bread and milk. These belonged to
the famous Stanley family, of whom
we find so many in America. From
these we got more information than
from any of the others, though when
we questioned them to closely they
at once grew taciturn and a little sui
len.
The English gypsies differ from their
kin in other lands. Among the Aus
trian and Russian gypsies music is a
passion. Their wild melodies are like
no other music and are particularly
expressive of the sorrows or race
that even in it's mirth has minor
strain and whose chief boast has been
thus set forth:
] am as free as Nature first MADE man.
Ere the base laws or servltude began,
When wild IN woods the noble savage
ran.