HE number of gypsies In America Is Increasing rapidly year by year, and of late years sev eral circumstances have combined to bring theni prominently to the at , tention of the public. For one thing, repre sentatives of this swarthy hued clan from all parts of the country met recently in one of our -eastern cities to elect a "king." an event that takes place only once in ten years. Then, too, gypsies have of late years been brought prominently to the attention of many of our citi zens through the growth of automo bile touring. Motorists traversing country roads and finding, at frequent intervals, large groups of gypsies camped by the wayside, have naturally come to have a new realization of what a numerous element of our popu lation these nomads now constitute. The average person, encountering American gypsies in a casual way, ob serves no differences or distinctions between the various bands and yet, as a matter oi fact, there are among the "Romanies" as many and as sharply defined classes of society as in any other division of o.ir population. In other sections of our cosmopolitan national community, too, we find some of these nomads who are virtually out casts among their own people, or at least with whom the aristocrats of the wanderers will not associate. It is by no means strange, however, If the citizen beyond the pale of gypsy doni fails to perceive these minute dis tinctions, lor the gypsies are a myste rious and secretive people, and for all that they seem to live so much in the public eye they in reality let the out side world know precious little re garding them. The suspicions of the rest of the world directed against them lor centuries have made the gypsies wary of strangers, for all that they need the money to be obtained in bar ter or fortune telling—and it is prac tically impossible for a "gorgio" (any one not of the gypsy clan) to really penetrate the reserve of these peo ple. Their exclusiveness is rendered the more easy from the fact that they speak a strange tongue—an aptly termed "black language," which is al most never taught to an outsider. For all that the gypsy in this pro IQYPSY FORTUNE TELLERS;! % Ability to Read Future Simply Result of Cultivated Hun Perception of Details \ \ The principal means of livelihood for gypsy men is horse trading, al though, as hu3 been mentioned above, some of those who acquire means go into the real estate field, and that same instinctive native shrewdness which makes them successful in the horse barter aids them to profitable investments in this other field. Gypsy women sometimes peddle lace and baskets from house to house, but their chief means of money making is for tune telling, and this is preferably carried on at camp, for the Romany sentiment is that a woman's place is in her home. Incidentally it may be remarked that gypsy girls are most carefully guarded and marriages with others thc.n gypsies are discouraged. The fortune teliing of the gypsies, or "dukkering," as they themselve3 call it, is a wonderful thing, and a power undeniably subnormal which reads "past, present and future, yer wish an' all ye want to know." Rut, though the Romany's gifts are marvel ous, they cannot strictly be said to be related to psychical phenomena. Yet they are as interesting, being delight fully human and as mysteriously baf fling as East Indian jugglery. The Romany's usual method of di vining the future is by the palm, though it is sometimes by cards some times by dropping coins into clear wa ter, and again by certain charms, va ried by trifling sleight of hand per formances. In the gypsy's palmistry there is no l*aok learning and little "science," although she professes to attach some importance to the lines of the heari and life. For the lines and mounts gypsies have their own explanation*, which sometimes hap pressive twentieth century occasion ally travels by railroad, just as he oc casionally makes use of the telegraph or even the telephone, his wanderings up and down the /land are principally accomplished by means of the horse drawn vehicles which present today much the same appearance that they did in the days of his forefathers on the other side of the Atlantic. There is this difference, however, that the big sleeping vans—their gaudily deco rated exteriors calculated to stir the imagination of any boy—are more roomy and comfortable than were the gypsy wagons of a few years ago. The cots have modern mattresses and the up-to-date type of wood burning stove has supplanted the tripod and kettle of bygone days. To that portion of the public which has been wont to regard the gypsy as all but akin to a beggar it mav come as something of a surprise if not a distinct shock to learn that many of these wanderers are decidedly well to-do. In the portable homes of the pen to coincide with those of the or dinary gorgio palmist, but which the most part are not to bo found in any written book. It Is almost entirely upon face read ing and a cultivated keen, ready per ception of general characteristics that the gypsy depends. Nothing escapes her quick eye. The bearing of a stranger, the dress, speech and man ner, the expression and type of fea ture and a thousand details which would be overlooked as unimportant trifles by a gorgio, count with the Romany. She refuses to "dukker" before more than one person at a time, possibly on the plea that she be longs to a "secret order" which for bids it, or that a fortune told in such manner would not come true. These statements, though deliciously appe tizing, are lacking In truth, for the fact is only that she needs the un divided attention of the one who con sults her, In order to get the best re sults of concentration of mind. In justice to the gypsy, it should be into consideration that the at mosphere of scepticism which is apt to surround a gay party of curiosity seekers, is not conducive to success in the exercise of any profession. The Romany fortune teller is an adept in the art of flattery, for there are few exceptions to the rule that nothing is so interesting as one's self. The gypsy knows how to draw out un conscious admissions by confessions by her oft-repeated, "Do you on'stan' me?" and "Can you look me in the eye an' fay it is not the truth I'm a-tel!in' you?" She forms the acknowledg ment of truths at which she has al ready sihrewdly guessed, and such ail CAMERON COUNTY PRESS. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 1011. better class of gyp sies one may now find china and sil verware; more sur prising, yet by no means all the gpy sy housewives now do their own work, many of them hav ing domestic serv ants, principally ne groeß, who travel with the caravan. And finally, to cite the acme of pres ent-day gypsy lux ury, it may be noted that at many a gypsy camp the washing is "sent out," this being regular routine among the more prosperous gypsies if washerwomen, black or white, can be found near the camp to undertake the work. In the same category of wonders is the grow ing practice of the gypsy women to employ seamstresses to make their clothing. Other evidence of how the habits, if not the characteristics, of the American gypsies are changing is af forded by the fact that many a pros perous gypsy now owns a home, or more especially a farm, which serves as a sort of base of operations for him —a refuge that corresponds in a sense to the winter quarters of a traveling circus. The wander-lust, the love of travel, Is so strong in the average gypsy that he cannot be con tent to remain long In any one place, even though he own the property and has fixed it up exactly in accord with his own notions, but he will spend a portion of each year in such tempo rary home if for no other purpose than to enable his children to obtain some schooling. missions are the stepping stones by which her "knowledge grows from more to more." She can, for instance, recognize at a glance the tokens of sadness by which the casual observer is blind, and whether the unmistak able stamp is from sorrow by visita tion of death or the result of bitter earthly disappointment, the odds are that tS>e gypsy will make the sitter tell her without being aware of hav ing done so. As a rule, as I have said, she flat ters with brave promises of fair fu tures, but if displeased she may so threaten with the vigorous, compell ing, dramatic art of which she is com plete mistress that the horrors con jured from imagination stand out be fore the "doomed" hearer with the real effect of a curse.—Century Mag azine. "The Tempest." "The Tempest" may be called the play of the upper and lower sides of human nature; the battle of intellect, conscience and spiritual aspiration against brute passion and appetite. Its leading character, Prospero, typl- Jles the "better things," while the lower are set forth in Caliban, Trin culo, Stephano, et al. Ariel is mere by the reflection of Prospero, the ma terialization, as it were, of his all conquering mind and spirit; and Pros pero himself is a reflection of the mental and splrtual In the universal humanity. Prospero wins, not only against the storm, Just as the brain and conscience of humanity are even tually to triumph over the forces ol nature without us and the forces ol the animal within u*. EXCELLENT SHEEP BREEDS FOR VARIOUS PURPOSES There Are Some Kinds That Produce Both Mutton and Wool —Shropshire's and Ilampshlres Are Early Maturing. 1 Hampshire Down Yearling Ram. First Prize Winner. (By WALTER B LEUTZ.) Most men who now raise sheep and those who are about to make a start want a breed that will produce both good mutton and good wool—a rather difficult combination. There are some breeds, however, that produce both, but like the dual cow they are not'in favor with the men who believe that one must breed for milk and butter, or for beef, and not for all. The following breads of sheep are probably better fitted by nature and improvement to produce wool and mutton: The Shropshires are much thought of throughout the west. The ewes weigh from 125 to ISO pounds, are very early maturing, producing very excellent carcasses, and shearing from 7 to 10 pounds per head. The Hampshires are a large sheep, not quite so early maturing, but pro ducing very large lambs at an early age. They shear approximately the same as Shropshires. The Oxford are very similar to the Hampshires in size and character. The Southdown is particularly a mutton breed, producing a fleece somewhat lighter than the breeds mentioned above, but nevertheless producing a good fleece and a most excellent carcass of mutton. PUPPY LIKED FRESH MILK Boston Bull Found to be Supplying His Own Rations Three or Four Times a Day by Milking Cow. A farmer of Underwood, Wash., had a bull puppy shipped out from Boston. The puppy's principal diet had been milk served from the bottle. During his first day on the farm the puppy was intensely interested in the opera ation of milking the cows, and for several days never failed to watch his master closely during the milking time, morning and evening. When one of the cows began to fail in her • u r '/L 112/ )' v '/ ftwt// '/w J ((f ' — Supplying His Own Rations. usual supply of milk, investigation dis closed the fact that the puppy was sup plying his own rations three or four times a day by milking the cow him self. Apples Without Cores. Almost everybody has heard tha story of the boy who asked his com panion for the core of his apple, to which request the companion made the historic remark: "There ain't goin' to be no core." Now Justice of the Peace David Barb of Clifford, Bartholomew county, Indiana, has an apple tree, and that tree bears apples. bhould any per son ask for the core of an apple from the tree ha would lie doomed to dis appointment, because the apples do not have cores. Justice Barb says the tree that bears the apples never blooms in the spring, but through some freak proc ess it bears apples the same as other trees. These app'es are without a core, and they are also seedless. Kills Predatory Chickens. A farmer in Illinois who scattered grain to kill his neighbor's predatory chickens had to pay a fine of SSO ard narrowly escaped i prison sentence. The Dorsets, when mature, weigh from 130 to 180 pounds, and are very prolific. They shear a fleece of me dium weight, and yield a good car cass. They are particularly valuable because of their extreme prolificacy, producing frequently three times in two years. The Rambouillettes and Delainq. Merinos are fine wool sheep, and pro duce fleeces which will yield from 10 to 16 pounds per head. They also produce good carcasses of mutton; however, more emphasis has been placed upon the fleece than in the breeds mentioned above. The greatest difference between the Hambouillette and the Delaine Meri no is in the greater size of the former. The Cotswold, Lincoln and Lester are known as the long-wooled breeds, producing fleeces weighing from 8 to 12 pounds, and producing good car casses before the lambs reach the age of one year. These three breeds are comparatively large. But breed is not everything in the selection of breeding-rams and ewes. After one has made up his mind as to the breed he wants then he must know how to select the best individual of that breed. There are some mighty poor speci mens of the best breeds, and the trick is to know enough to let these alone. IMPROVE THE FARM HOME Ample Supply of Running Water Is Not Only Household Con venience, but Is Big Money Saver (By C. R. BARNI3S.) Few things will contribute more to the comfort and "sanitation" of a home than an ample supply of run ning water. This is one of the sub stantial attractions of the city home. That it is found in comparatively few farmsteads is a reproach to the thrift of the owners, as well as to their char acters as husbands and fathers. A supply c running water is not only a household convenience, but it is a money-saver in numerous ways. In the mere matter of watering cattle, it will not only make a large saving of labor, but it will increase the flow of milk in dairy cattle and cause fatten ing beeves to lay on more flesh than when their drink is limited. The economies it will effect on even the moderate sized farmstead will amount to a good deal more each year than the interest on an investment of $500; and only rarely would the outlay for its installation amount to so large a sum as that. Forest Henry, in a re cent article, figures that —a well being already available—the cost may be kept within $200; which includes a SIOO windmill; 100 feet of pipe, connecting with house and barn, and cost of laying same; the building of a cistern; a small stock tank; float valves and sundries. The interest on S2OO at six per cent, is only sl2 a year. It is safe to say that any farmer, with an ordinary "bunch" of cattle, loses several times that amount in butter or beef product alone, from the limita tion of the amount of water which is inevitable where much labor is in volved in watering the animals. All this without taking account of the con veniences, the improved healthfulness, and the saving of labor in the house, which accompany the introduction of running water. The farmer should realize that it pays better to put profita Into farm improvements of his own than to loan it at five per cent, or six per cent, to improve some other man's farm. • The question with farmers should not be whether they can afford an equipment for running water, but whether they can afford togo without It. Those who have installed such an equipment are usually prompt in an swering this question with an em phatic negative. World's Crop of Oats. The world's crop of oats is nearlj 3,700,000,000 bushels annually, ac cording to the department of agricul ture. The United States annual crop for 1908-9 was about 900,000,000 j bushels, and the United States Is aligned with European Russia, Her i many, France and Canada as the prin j clpal oat producing countries. OWES HER HEALTH To Lydia E. Pinkham's Vegetable Compound Scottyille, Mich.—" I want to teTI you how much good LydiaE. Pinkham's .'Vegetable Com-* pound and Sanative iiji. Wash have done mo. W * Te on a f arm and m£' have worked very * " F" I am forty •7vi '*>» 112 -five years old, and **2?" J .am the mother of thirteen children. Many people think \ \ stran f? e that lam \\ ivfc no ' broken down \i V ' ; ' A : ' y\Y w 'th hard work and l \ V • YiV • V V.I the care of my fam ily, but I tell them of my good friend, rour Vegetable Compound, and that here will be no backache and bearing down pains for them if they will taka it as I have. lam scarcely ever with, out it in the house. "I will say also that I think there is no better medicine to be found for young girls to build them up and make them strong and well. My eldest daughter has taken Lydia E. Pink, ham's Vegetable Compound for pain ful periods and irregularity, and it has always helped her. "I am always ready and willing to speak a good word for the Lydia E. Pinkham s Remedies. I tell every one I meet that I owe my health and hap. piness to these wonderful medicines." —Mrs. J. G. JOHNSON, Scottville, Mich., R.F.D. 3. Lydia E. Pinkham's Vegetable Com. pound, made from native roots and herbs, contains no narcotics or harm ful drugs, and to-day holds the record for the largest number of actual cures of female diseases. It Wasn't a Fire. The principal of one of the New York East Side night schools was en rolling a new pupil, who was togged out in a suit of clothes so new that it hurt him. Just before the boy came in the principal had heard the sound of fire engines in the street. "What is your name?" the principal asked the lad. "Tom Dugan," was the reply. "Where was the fire, Tommy?" asked the principal as he wrote down the name. There was no reply; only a scowl. "I say, where was the fire?" repeat ed the principal. "Don't git gay wit me," was the somewhut astonishing answer. "Dere wasn't no fire, see? I bought die here suit and I paid seven-fifty for it-" Careless and Cappy. We have undertaken to blend In one the best of the two proverbial conditions—to be careless and happy, hairless and cappy. We are now hap py and cappy, and frequently careless as well. A pretty figure may be con jured up—a figure In leaf-green satin veiled with rose and silver shot gauze. The dark hair , is covered by a sai lor's cap, point and all, worn flatly over the whole head, the point falling at the back. Instead of being made of scarlet cashmere, it is of the gauze, over silver tissue, and studded with pink and yellow topaz, while it is bor dered with great gray pear-shaped pearls, these, of course, hanging around the back of the neck and over the soft hair in front. We have taken to caps! Where He Made It. "Hullo, Blnks!" said Wobbles. "I hear you've been in the chicken busi ness." "Yep," said Binks. "Made anything out of It?" asked Wobbles. "Yep," said Binks. "Ten thousand 'ollars." "Ten thousand dollars in the chick en business?" demanded Wobbles. "Nope. Out of It," said Blnks. — Harper's Weekly. Illness at the Zoo. An unexpected result of the Portu guese revolution was the indisposition of the animals at the Lisbon zoologi cal gardens. They all became ill, hav ing been so alarmed by the bombard ment that they refused to eat and drink. If You Knew How Good are the sweet, crisp bits of Post Toasties you would, at least, try 'em. The food is made of per fectly ripe white corn, cooked, sweetened, rolled and toasted. It is served direct from the package with cream or milk, and sugar if desired — A breakfast favorite I "The Memory Lingers" POSTPM CEREAL CO.. Ltd., baitlo Cieuk. Mich. 3
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers