-
Articles/Ads
Article HISTORY OF THE GYPSIES. Page 1 of 2 →
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
History Of The Gypsies.
HISTORY OF THE GYPSIES .
[ CONCLUDED FROM OUR LAST . *]
NOTHING can exceed the urestrained depravity of mattn- ! rs existing among these people ; I allude particularly to the female sex . Unchecked by any idea of shame , they give way to every desire . The mother endeavours , by the most scandalous arts , to train up her daughter for an offering to sensuality ; and she is scarcely grown up before she becomes the seducer of others . Laziness is so prevalent themthatwere they to subsist btheir own labour
among , , y only , they would hardly have bread for two of the seven days in the week . This indolence increases their propensity to stealing and cheating , the common attendants on idleness ; They seek to avail themselves of every opportunity to satisfy their lawless desires . Their universal bad character , therefore , for fickleness , infidelity , ingratitude , revenge , malice , rage , depravity , laziness , knavery , thievishness , and
cunning , though not deficient in capacity and cleverness , render these people of no use in society , except as soldiers to form marauding parties . Persons in their company , and under their disguise , have formed dangerous designs against cities and countries . They have been banished from almost all civilized states , in their turn , except Hungary and Transylvaniaand to little purpose . It has been thought
* that , as'furkey would allow them toleration , it would be better for the European states to take some steps for ' cultivating and civilizing them , and making them useful . But that the attempt would be impracticable , appears from ' a very intelligent Hungarian lady ' s
experience on thesubject , communicatedin a letter as follows : ' There are a great number of them on my estates ; but I have permitted two families in particular to establish themselves at the place of my own residence , under . the express condition that no others shall come heie and join them . I took all possible pains to make them reasonable creatures . I set the elder ones to ' work ; the younger ones to tend the cattle . I observed that they were more fond of horses than any thing
else ; for which reason I p laced a gypsy under each groom . I had their children clothed , that none of them might be running about naked , according to their usual practice . It appeared , however , that custom was become nature with them . The old ones worked diligently so long as any body looked over them ; the moment their back was turnedthey-all got together in a circletheir legs across
, , , facing the sun , and chatteied . Even in winter they cannot bear a hat on their heads , nor shoes on their feet . The boys , who appfear void of reason , run like wild things wherever they -are sent * either on foot or on horseback . It is really shocking to see even wellgrown children put whatever they find into their mouths , like infants before they can speak ; wherefore they eat every thing , even
car-. rion , let it stink ever so much . ' The origin of this people has been generally believed to be Egyptian ; VOL , vm . 3 D
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
History Of The Gypsies.
HISTORY OF THE GYPSIES .
[ CONCLUDED FROM OUR LAST . *]
NOTHING can exceed the urestrained depravity of mattn- ! rs existing among these people ; I allude particularly to the female sex . Unchecked by any idea of shame , they give way to every desire . The mother endeavours , by the most scandalous arts , to train up her daughter for an offering to sensuality ; and she is scarcely grown up before she becomes the seducer of others . Laziness is so prevalent themthatwere they to subsist btheir own labour
among , , y only , they would hardly have bread for two of the seven days in the week . This indolence increases their propensity to stealing and cheating , the common attendants on idleness ; They seek to avail themselves of every opportunity to satisfy their lawless desires . Their universal bad character , therefore , for fickleness , infidelity , ingratitude , revenge , malice , rage , depravity , laziness , knavery , thievishness , and
cunning , though not deficient in capacity and cleverness , render these people of no use in society , except as soldiers to form marauding parties . Persons in their company , and under their disguise , have formed dangerous designs against cities and countries . They have been banished from almost all civilized states , in their turn , except Hungary and Transylvaniaand to little purpose . It has been thought
* that , as'furkey would allow them toleration , it would be better for the European states to take some steps for ' cultivating and civilizing them , and making them useful . But that the attempt would be impracticable , appears from ' a very intelligent Hungarian lady ' s
experience on thesubject , communicatedin a letter as follows : ' There are a great number of them on my estates ; but I have permitted two families in particular to establish themselves at the place of my own residence , under . the express condition that no others shall come heie and join them . I took all possible pains to make them reasonable creatures . I set the elder ones to ' work ; the younger ones to tend the cattle . I observed that they were more fond of horses than any thing
else ; for which reason I p laced a gypsy under each groom . I had their children clothed , that none of them might be running about naked , according to their usual practice . It appeared , however , that custom was become nature with them . The old ones worked diligently so long as any body looked over them ; the moment their back was turnedthey-all got together in a circletheir legs across
, , , facing the sun , and chatteied . Even in winter they cannot bear a hat on their heads , nor shoes on their feet . The boys , who appfear void of reason , run like wild things wherever they -are sent * either on foot or on horseback . It is really shocking to see even wellgrown children put whatever they find into their mouths , like infants before they can speak ; wherefore they eat every thing , even
car-. rion , let it stink ever so much . ' The origin of this people has been generally believed to be Egyptian ; VOL , vm . 3 D