| WHEN God paints his pictures you had better keep | | | | denominations was one of disgust for their hypocrisy. |
| quiet. Look with your eyes, but keep your foolish | | | | This influenced my own religious thinking for many |
| tongue still!" My Aunt Lila counseled me in this way | | | | years. To her, some priests were hypocritical |
| while I was still a young boy as we stood in awe of a | | | | "so-and-so's"; money-grabbing clergymen she viewed |
| particularly beautiful sunrise. This was typical Gypsy | | | | as "unclean as a goose's excrement," and she did not |
| thinking regarding God and his marvelous creative | | | | mind telling them so. |
| works. | | | | She also instilled in my young mind a strong distaste |
| We believed in a Creator and had a sincere respect | | | | for violence. Never will I forget the scolding she gave |
| for him, even though in a simple, childish sort of way. | | | | me one day. A lady to whom we were selling goods |
| Our philosophy of life was that the satisfying of our | | | | had asked me what I was going to be when I grew |
| daily needs always depended on a Creator, God. | | | | up. Having been attracted by the uniforms on men in |
| Hence, we would never think of ill-treating the lovely | | | | the armed services, I told her that I wanted to become |
| creatures inhabiting the forests, streams, lakes and | | | | a soldier. My aunt told me she never wanted to hear |
| seas. They were his creations, and we were glad to | | | | me say such a thing again, and if I ever did appear at |
| recognize that fact. | | | | her door in a military uniform I had better just keep on |
| A further part of our philosophy and way of life could | | | | traveling! She impressed upon me that no human |
| be summed up in the old adage: "Tomorrow will | | | | creature had the right to shed blood in man-made |
| always take care of itself!" For this reason our life was | | | | wars. |
| easygoing and generally peaceable. We would put | | | | While growing up I began to observe the hypocrisy of |
| forth effort to meet only present needs. With these | | | | the clergy for myself. World War II was approaching, |
| satisfied, we would relax and enjoy life with our | | | | and it became very evident how they shared in |
| families and the closeknit society of our own people. | | | | recruiting young men for war. One approached my |
| We would use the world to make a living, but beyond | | | | aunt to ask her to let me join, and she told him off in |
| that we would not involve ourselves with it. Its political | | | | no uncertain terms. |
| squabbles were not our concern. | | | | The more I came into association with so-called |
| Life as a Gypsy Boy | | | | religious people, the more I was impressed with the |
| From the East Anglia section of England, where I was | | | | hypocrisy of world religion. Young men would get |
| born, I traveled with my aunt in a Gypsy group all over | | | | drunk and indulge in wild revelries on a Saturday |
| the British Isles. I was taught to have real respect for | | | | evening and then go to Mass on Sunday morning. The |
| older persons, always addressing older males as | | | | fact that they supposedly got their sins forgiven, only |
| "uncle" and older females as "aunt." Never was I | | | | to carry on in the same immoral way in the days |
| allowed to call them by their first names. In my later | | | | preceding the next Sunday Mass, disgusted me. |
| years I have always been grateful for the discipline | | | | A Different Kind of Religion |
| given me whenever I was disrespectful of my aunt's | | | | By 1942 I was married. One day I came home and my |
| authority. | | | | wife told me that two women had called and talked to |
| Gypsy children are never allowed to run loose, so I | | | | her about the Bible and its promises for a better future. |
| was not. My aunt loved me and kept me busy. She | | | | Being inclined to ridicule anything that smacked of |
| took me with her to pick watercress, mushrooms and | | | | religion, I showed no desire to discuss the matter. Later, |
| berries, and the next day we would peddle these from | | | | in northern Scotland, a man called at our camp and |
| house to house or take them to a nearby market. | | | | played a Gramophone record for my wife while I was |
| Part of our making a living was for my aunt and me to | | | | away. It really impressed her that the man had the |
| go to farms to buy piles of manure. After putting it in | | | | courage to play a record exposing world religion as a |
| bushel baskets, we would peddle it from door to door | | | | snare and a racket. My wife gave the man a meal |
| among people who had small flower or vegetable | | | | before he went on his way. |
| gardens. | | | | Later, when we were around Newcastle in England |
| During my early training, petty thievery was indulged in | | | | again, my wife suggested we try to find these people |
| by my aunt and others in our camp. Hence, I learned | | | | because she felt they had spoken the truth. But shortly |
| dishonesty, including how to make shady deals to | | | | afterward we moved to Canada, where I thought it |
| benefit myself financially. Once, while a youth, I | | | | might be possible to make a better living. |
| befriended a lad whose parents were not Gypsies. His | | | | Rearing Children |
| mother was dying of tuberculosis, and the family was | | | | Meanwhile, I was raising my family. I took my son along |
| so poor that they had little food to eat. Desiring to | | | | with me in my business, which was then buying and |
| provide her with some strengthening nourishment, I | | | | selling scrap metal. When enough scrap metal was |
| took my friend along to a nearby chicken pen where | | | | collected to sell to a dealer, I would give my boy a pile |
| we appropriated a nice plump hen. I gave it to my | | | | of his own and let him deal it off, but under my |
| friend to take home, but the father made his son return | | | | supervision to make sure he did not get gypped. Thus |
| the feathered booty to me upon learning that it had | | | | he was trained to make his way in life. |
| been stolen. | | | | My wife provided our daughter typical Gypsy training, |
| Early Religious Training and Views | | | | teaching her to cook, wash clothes, mend and care for |
| My aunt's simple faith in God always made a strong | | | | a baby so that she would eventually make a good |
| impression on my mind. At the end of day she would | | | | wife for a Gypsy husband. My wife also trained her in |
| have me kneel beside her as she gave thanks to God | | | | peddling linens. She would take her to the warehouses |
| as our daily Provider-even though we may have stolen | | | | when making purchases so she could observe how |
| a rabbit or the mushrooms, watercress and berries | | | | this business was transacted. In addition, an uncle |
| from other people's property! | | | | taught our daughter how to become adept at making |
| Most Gypsies with whom I was familiar belonged to a | | | | flowers out of wood. Thus when accompanying her |
| religious denomination, such as the Methodist Church, | | | | mother from house to house, if the linens were not |
| the Church of England or the Roman Catholic Church, | | | | accepted, she would offer her "flowers," making a little |
| but my aunt had no use for organized religion in any | | | | money for herself. |
| form. Her attitude toward the clergy of various | | | | |