The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-05-23
Frederic Haslkin's Letter


Warrington. D. G., May 3-The
dlnsss Of . Gypsy king N Detroit
. few days ago. which b said ~
have endangered the succession In
= famous gypsy dynasty. was wide
" noticed IN the papers and called
public. e<tenxson to that strange
race Of nomAds who live all ever
tho modern world, and yet are not
In the least . part OF u In tact.
their camps, which 1t this time OF
the year are beginning to appear
along the highroads ell over the
United States. with their queer
tents and painted wagons. their
swarthy women in gaudy silks,
seem - ont Of place among the
neat American farms and homes
as would an orchid growing among
daisies.
The gypsies are unique among
peoples in having roamed al over
i've continents without . country
Of their own or any other unify1ng
influence. and yet they have kept
intact their language, their customs
and ways Of living, and their ra-
cial purity. On the nature OF that
race science has recently shed q
good deal Of light Ths gypsies
are NO longer thought to have come
from Egypt, 40 their name would
imply, but are known to be de-
rived from northern India Both
their language and their racial type
are said to relate them unmtstak-
ably to the Hindoos.
The mystery about them is what
caused q large section Of q race to
suddenly adopt . nomad life, and
what enables 1t to continue thta
life in all parts of the world fol
centuries without loss Of racial
identity. For the gypsies began u
wander in the 10th century. NOV
ing from their homo probably in Z
body which broke up into smaller
subdivisions and gradually scatter
ed into all parts Of the world They
were probably driven out OF Indis
by tho hordes Of Genghis Khan
There is nothing remarkable about
the start Of this migration. His
tory is full Of similar ones. But
! usually tho migrants have settlet
again at the first favorable Oppor
tunity and have been largely ab
sorbed by the population. abou
them. Only the gypsies have KEEP
moving and have remained nm
changed. The Jews OF course ofel
the nearest thing to a parallel, bu
the Jews have attached themsefve'
to various countries. adopting theil
languages and customs, playing u
important part in the making o
civilization. The gypsy adopt
nothing and remains as completed.
outside of civilization as the rab
bits and birds.
A Race Of NonaaB.
It is plain the secret Of gyps.
nature is in the love Of wandering
which scientists call the nomaGi
| impulse. This component Of hui
man nature has been scentincall,
studied by Davenport. He decide
that the nomadic impulse is nativ
to all human nature, but has beef
largely inhibited in most individ
uals because Of the necessities o
civilized existence. Most Of us a
some time in youth have dreame'
of long and adventurous journey
ings and a good many Of Us hav
yielded to the temptation at som
time or other, II the delinquenc
amounted to no more than playin
hockey from school. Many person
keep this desire all Of their live.
even though they never yield to Il
Some cannot resist it and thes
become tramps, itinerant peddlers
explorers, globe trotters. or what
ever else their abilities and oppor
tunities enable them to becom,
There are few Of us, even thos
most rooted in habit and settled
who cannot feel the romantic az
peal of a free rowing life
i The gypsies, then. are race {
men who embody this character
istic of all men most intensel.
Think of a gypsy as a personifica
ton OF your own love Of chang
and adventure, your hatred Of rou
tine and monotony, the wanderin
dreams Of your youth which 20
never had the chance or the couI
; age to fulfill, and you will under
stand him better.
| The gypsies might perhaps b
explained by the fact that a part {