146 



MR. BORROW ON THE GIPSIES. 



of each Gipsy individually. View the 

 subject any way I may, I cannot resist 

 coming to the conclusion that, under 

 more favourable circumstances, it is 

 difficult to say what the Gipsies might 

 not attain to. But that would depend 

 greatly upon the country in which they 

 are to be found. Scotland has been 

 peculiarly favourable for them in some 

 respects (Ed., p. 415). 



The prejudice that exists against 

 the Gipsies has a three-fold effect 

 that bearing directly upon them, 

 and, notwithstanding its depres- 

 sing influence, the high opinion they 

 have of themselves, and the result 

 it has of making them "stick to 

 each other." 



The peculiar feeling that is enter- 

 tained for what is popularly understood 

 to be a Gipsy differs from that which is 

 displayed toward the Negro, in that it 

 attaches to his traditional character and 

 mode of life alone. The general preju- 

 dice against the Negro is, to a certain 

 extent, natural, and what any one can 

 realize. If the European has a difficulty 

 in appreciating the feeling which is ex- 

 hibited by Americans against the Afri- 

 can in their general intercourse of daily 

 life, few Americans can realize the feel- 

 ing which is entertained toward the 

 tented Gipsy. Should such a Gipsy be 

 permitted to enter the dwelling of a na- 

 tive, the most he will let him come in 

 contact with will be the chair he will 

 give him to sit on, and the dish and 

 spoon out of which he will feed him, all 

 of which can again be cleaned. His 

 guest will never weary his patience, ow- 

 ing to the embodiment of restlessness 

 which characterizes his race ; nor will 

 his feelings ever be tried by his asking 

 him for a bed, for, what the herb com- 

 monly called catnip is to the animal 

 somewhat corresponding to that word, 

 a bundle of straw in an out-house is to 

 the tented Gipsy (Ed., p, 54). 



There is something singularly incon- 

 sistent in the mind of the Gipsies. They 

 pride themselves, to an extraordinary 

 degree, in their race and language ; at 

 the same time, they are extremely sen- 

 sitive to the prejudice that exists against 

 them. "We feel," say they, "that 

 every other creature despises us, and 

 would crush us out of existence, if it 

 could be done. No doubt there are 



things which many of the Gipsies do 

 not hold to be a shame that others do ; 

 but, on the other hand, they hold some 

 things to be a shame which others do 

 not. They have many good points. 

 They are kind to their own people, and 

 will feed and clothe them, if it is in their 

 power ; and they will not molest others 

 who treat them civilly. They are some- 

 what like the wild American Indians : 

 they even go so far as to despise their 

 own people who will willingly conform 

 to the ways of the people among whom 

 they live, even to putting their heads un- 

 der a roof. But, alas ! a hard necessity 

 renders it unavoidable ; a necessity of 

 two kinds that of making a living under 

 the circumstances in which they find 

 themselves placed, and the impossibility 

 of enforcing their laws among them- 

 selves. Let them do what they may, 

 live as they may, believe what they may, 

 they are looked upon as everything that 

 is bad. Yet they are a people, an an- 

 cient and mysterious people, that have 

 been scattered by the will of Providence 

 over the whole earth." It is to escape 

 this dreadful prejudice that all Gipsies, 

 excepting those who avowedly live and 

 profess themselves Gipsies, will hide 

 their race, if they can, and particularly 

 so in the case of those who fairly leave 

 the tent, conform to the ordinary ways 

 of society, and engage in any of its vari- 

 ous callings. While being convoyed 

 by the son of an English Gipsy, whose 

 family I had been visiting, at their house, 

 where I had heard them freely speak of 

 themselves as Gipsies, and converse in 

 Gipsy, I said, in quite a pleasant tone, 

 " Ah, my little man, and you are a young 

 Gipsy? Eh, what's the matter?" "I 

 don't wish to be known to the people as 

 a Gipsy." His father, on another occa- 

 sion, said, " We are not ashamed to say 

 to a friend that we are Gipsies ; but 

 my children don't like people to be cry- 

 ing after them, ' Look at the Gipsies !' " 

 And yet this family, like all Gipsies, 

 were strongly attached to their race and 

 language. It was pitiful to think that 

 there was so much reason for them to 

 make such a complaint. On one occa- 

 sion, I was asked, " If you would not 

 deem it presumptuous, might we ask 

 you to take a bite with us ? " " Eat with 

 you? Why not ?" I replied. "What 

 will your people think, if they knew that 

 you had been eating with us ? You will 

 lose caste." This was said in a serious 

 manner, but slightly tinged with irony. 



