Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1921-06-14
THE WHY OF THE GYPSY
Strange Race That Follows the Bent
: of It's Choice. j.:
TRUE TO BLOOD and TRADITION

,EaEtl- LoT ..aS 6SdSh 'SiS = tHooSatlS
Years, and Have Held on to Their
Own Manners and Customs Without
Ever, Forgetting Anything or Learn
= ing! Any,thins.
%,,f i1lE Frederick J. Haskln.. ,i,-
j; The Illness Of a. Gypsy king in De-
trott "a few days ago. which Is said to
have endangered the succession in a
famous Gypsy dynasty, was widely
noticed in the papers and called pub
lie attention TO that strange race Of
nomads who live all over the modern
world; and yet are not IN the least a
part Of it: In fact, their camps, which
at this time of the year are beginning
to appear along the roads all over the
United States. with their queer tents
and painted wagons, their swarthy wo-
men in gaudys silks. seem as out OF
place among the neat American farms
and homes as would an orchard grow
ing among daisies.
The Gypsies are unique among peo-
Piles in having roaned all over five
continents without a country of their
own or any other unifying influence
and yet they have kept intact their
language, their. customs and ways Of
living. and their racial purity. On the
nature Of that race science has recent
ly shed good deal Of light. The
Gypsies are no longer thought TO have
come from Egypt. as their name would
imply, but are known to be derived
from northern India. Bot oth their Ian.
guage and their: racial type are said to
relate them Enthusiastically to the Hin
docs. a..
The mystery about them is what
caused a large section Of a race to
suddenly adopt nomadic life, and
what enables it to continue this life
in all parts Of the world for centuries
without loss ,of racial identity. For the
Gypsies began to wander in the 10th
century, moving from their home pro-
badly in a body W hich broke up into
smaller and smaller subdivisions and
gradually scattered to all parts Of the
world. They were probably driven out
of India by the hordes Of Genghis
Khan. There is nothing remarkable
about the start Of this migration. His
tory is full OF similar ones. But usual
ly the migrants have settled again at
the first favorable opportunity and
have been largely absorbed BY the pop
ulation about them. Only the Gypsies
have kept moving. and have remained
unchanged. The Jews Of course offer
the nearest thing to a parallel, but the
Jews have attached themselves to var
ious countries, adopting their Ian
guages and customs, playing an i'm
portant part in the making OF civliza-
,inn. The Gypsy adopts nothing and
remains as completely outside of civil
lization as the rabbits and birds.
A Race Of Nomads.
It Is plain the secret OF Gypsy ma
ture is in the love of wandering,
which scientists call the nomadic i'm
pulse. This component OF human no
ture has been scientifically studied by
Davenport. He decides that the no.
madic impulse native to all human
nature, but has been largely Inhabited
in most individuals because OF the nee
essities of civilized existence. Most of
us some time in youth have dreamed
of long and adventurous journeyings'
and a good many of us have yielded
TO the temptation at some time or
other if the delinquency amounted to
no more than playing hockey from
school, Many persons keep this desire
al of their lives, even though they
never yield to 1t. Some cannot resist
it, and these become tramps, itinerant'
peddlers, explorers, globe trotters, or
whatever else their abilities and oppor-
tunities enable them to become. There
are few of us, even those most rooted
in habit and settled, who cannot feel
the romantic appeal Of free roaming
life.
The Gypsies, then. are a race or men
who embody this characteristic OF all
men most intensely. Think Of q Gyp-
sy as a personifcatlon of your own
love of change and adventure, your
hatred of routine and monotony, the
wandering dreams Of your youth which
you never had. the chance or the cour-
age to fulfill, and you will understand
him better.
The Gypsies might perhaps be en-
planned by the fact that part OF .
race or tribe had to migrate in tha'
far-away day, and that all Of those II
whom the nomadic impulse wa:
strongest naturally volunteered to go
Perhaps circumstances made 1t lmpos
sible for them to settle anywhere as 9
whole, and so they kept moving, the
less strong and adventurous dropping
out one by one until only q band o
hardy, born wanderers remained
The fact that the Gypsy person.
ties the vagabond and the nomad II
all of US doubtless explains the dilfer
ent accounts of him that you get, Is!
most respectable people he is regard
ed as q; cheat, thief. kidnappei
, h,d Po1loNr oenera ily On tn