The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1917-02-16
LETTERS FROM READERS
Comment on Current Topics In
Communications to the Editor.

~" SuESbh iOPiCs iu
Communications to the Editor.
To the Editor of THE TIMES:
The remarks of the noted evan
gelist, Mr.. Smith, In yesterdays Times
concerning the origin and character
istics of the gypsy race were surely
most interesting to non-gypsies.
Mr.. Smith, however, probably be.
cause his superb talents have been so
wholly given to the cause of evan
gelism, is not so familiar with the
ethnology OF his own people as are
the ethnologists to whom the Romany
are no longer the racial puzzle" they
cnce were. Certainly they are not one
OF the lost tribes of Israel. Nor is 1t
apprectably correct 70 say that all
gypsies bear Biblical names. The
writer could quote off-hand fifty Ro-
many proper names that seem to him
to have scant Biblical connection, al
though on this point he would hest
tate to enter upon the field of the
evangelist's knowledge Of the Bible.
Descended from Hindus.
The gypsies are descended from ono
OF the low-caste Hindu tribes of India,
most likely the Jats, although which
particular tribe has not as yet been
determined. This origin has been so
closely proven that IL has been ac-
cepted as correct by even the Romany
themselves. The method of this PROOF,
lengthy exposition of which space
forbids here, lay in the striking and
persistent parallel that was found to
exist between the Romany tongue and
the Hindu. A noted savant, Michael
Won Kogalnitscheu. said of Romany:
II find II interesting to be able to
study Hindu in the heart of Europe"
1t may be news to some that the
gypsies translate the word Buddha to
mean IAN old man." which is precisely
it's literal meaning in Hindustani.
Mag" is snake in Hindustani, and
nag is earthworm in gypsy. Sass"
in English-gypsy means bold, impu-
dent, and so does sa'has in Hindustani.
II a gypsy be asked what shimal
means, he will likely answer (pro-
vided he thinks you worthy of his
confidence), "It's where the snow
comes from" Shimal means north in
Hindustani. The Hindu sar 1 sham
means "early in the evening" while
sarishan is the gypsy greeting over
the world.
Another Similarity.
Most deep OF Hindu words is tat,
which means an element, a principle
of being. The English gypsies say,
That's the tat OF II" lin their mon
greI dialect, so unlike pure Romany,
which, however, among some few
English gypsies is spoken at its best)
to mean the essence of II. Similarly.
tatchipen is gypsy for true, or truly.
The parallel could be continued in
definitely. It has we'll been said,
Nearly all the words in the gypsy
tongue claimed by the race as purely
gypsy words can be found in Hindu
stani"
A very great deal that Mr.. Emith
has so engagingly said of his misIn-
derstood people is Informative, and
spoken. evidently, from the heart; but
one must accept only on the score Of
his personal zeal his statement that
the Romany are a truly religious race.
He would have them, evidently, as ne
would like to see them; but as, in
fact, they are not.
Mysticism of India.
Mystical they are. with all the mys-
ticism of their Indian origin, and
keenly alive to the phenomena OF
nature. as arc all people Vsho live close
to nature. The gypsy mind is always
omen to the beauty of an idea that
traces its likeness. or its origin, to
any of natures beauties.
Rut religious, in the sense of heed
ing at all the conventions imposed by
I eIigion or the distractions which II
develops, or the dogmas which con-
found il. the Romany certainly are
not. Indeed, the gypsy mind is sim
CuIarIy closed to every form OF alb
stract thought. Chaste as gypsy
women are, as Mr.. Smith rightfullV
AYERS: moral as the race is, especially
in sexual morality, and devoted as the
Romany are to their families, de-
votion having its origin in self-pro-
fCction. the gypsy word kamava, "to
love" has not the spiritual meaning
of its English equivalent, because
such abstractive conceptions are
APART from the gypsy character.
Magnetic Appeal.
One quality, the pre-eminent OF the
gypsy nature, for which all who profit
by the eloquent exhortations of Mr..
Smith should be thankful, lies In the
vibrant. magnetic appeal which the
Romany can exert, almost at will,
over those about them.
No qualification, short of the call to
the pulpit, could be so valuable to
the earnest evangelist as this mag
rctism. and doubtless it accounts for
much of the superb success that has
Mr.. Smiths efforts here and
AUBREY LAlASTON.
January 81. 1871