Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1921-05-04
The complete addess follows:
What is a Gypsy?

The complete addess follows:
What is a Gypsy?
Mr.. Smith said: am generally not
very long in city before someone
says to me, 'Mr. Smith, what is a
Gypsy?" I usually turn the same ques-
ton back to the questioners and ask
them just what they think a Gypsy
is? I was lecturing in middle west
ern state on one occasion and group
of children who occupied the front
seats said that they all knew what a
Gypsy was. I pointed to one little
child and said "You tell me what a
Gypsy is," and he said "Please sir, it
is fellow who goes round and round
and round seeing what he can find."
That is a pretty good definition of a
Gypsy, because the Gypsies are
mighty good finders. Another little
fellow said "Please sir, a Gypsy is a
wild man." another said "a Gypsy is
loafer;" a little girl said "please sir,
a Gypsy is a fortune teller;;" while
another boy said "please, sir, Gypsy
is fellow that swipes kids" l told
him that a true Gypsy didn't steal
children, for very good reason, that
he didn't have to. 1 had great uncle
who lived to be the age of nineyt-nine
before he ever heard the story of Je-
sus Christ. You fancy living in a
country the size of England, full OF
colleges, churches and chapels and
teachers and being able to live for
ninety-nine years without hearing
that story, and when he heard the
story of Christ it broke his heart and
he surrendered his life to Jesus Christ
and lived to be 1O1. When he died ne
was the father of thirty-one children,
and / never heard that he added to
that number by swiping kids. He was
perfectly satisfied with what he had
and when you teach your childen
when they are naughty the Gypsy will
take them, then you malign and SLAM
der a race of people that yon know
nothing about, for there is no more
slandered race of people under the
sun than the Gypsy race. We are
slandered in your novels, we are ma
ligned on your stage. You owe all
YOU are to the gospel of Jesus Christ
and my people have never had your
opportunity.
Jewish Origin.
There are in the world today be-
tween three and four million, and
there isn't a scholar yet that can
prove their origin. Some say that
originally we came from Egypt;
others will say that we came from In
dia, but we believe ourselves to be
Jews, and although | cannot prove
that statement, yet want to hurried
ly give you one or two reasons why
we think we are Jews. For instance,
there were lost tribes, and if you took
one hundred of our people promis-
cuously, you would find this remark
able fact, that IS per cent Of them
have Bible names. My grandfather
whose conversion. want to tell you
about in a few moments, his name Is
Cornelius; have an uncle, my faith
er's brother, whose name is Ezekl'
ell, my sister has two Bible names
Rosa-Zilla. had great uncle whose
name was Bartholomew, and he hac
six children, all with Biblical names
Ruth, Naomi, Elipah, Ezekiel, Sam
son and Delilah. Yau fancy having
Samson and Delilah in the same
family. Well, you say where do yor
get these names from; not the Bible
No, for we have not any Bibles, ane
if we had them we couldn't read then
for Gypsy never goes to school tt
learn to read or write. We have
great many customs that are akin tt
the old Jewish customs, for instance
if a person is taken sick in camp WE
would set aside for their use -sucl
things as they would need while the!
are sick, as plate and fork, spoon
knife, cup and saucer, and when TIN
. person gets better we destroy thos'
things. They have become in the Gyp
sy language "chickley," which mean