The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1873-03-21
THE ORIGIN OF ENGLISH TERMS.
/" HE Is A CYNIC.

A doggish, snappish snarler. Dio
genes is the well known founder OF this
philosophical sect. The term cyaic,
comes from a Greek word, meaning
day. Diogenes gloried in his ability to
live without any of the conveniences of
life. His whole furniture consisted of
a staff, wallet, wooden bowl, and
tub to cover him when it rained. Alex
a1ldria the Great visited him and asked
him, what he could do for him; NO
thing" replied the Cynic; but stand
out of my sunshine. The great mon
arch exclaimed, eff were not Alexan-
der, I should wish to be Diogenes. "
He was remarkable for his eccentricity.
He walked through the streets of Ath-
ems, carrying a lantern in broad day
light, saying he was in search of an
"honest man" Seeing over mans door
the inscription" Let nothing evil
enter here" Diogenes said, How will
the master get in" Hearing that Plato
defined a man to be two-legged ami
NAL without feathers he stripped a
fowl of its plunage and threw it into
PlatO's academv, exclaiming: Behold
Plato's man." Observing young man
blush, when accused of his sins, Do
genes said to him, GO Take courage, that
blush is the color of virtue" While
walking upon the carpet Of Plato's
house, he said, 81 tread upon the pride
of Plato" Yes" replied the latter,
"but with another kind of pride. I"
Diogenes, while on a sea voyage, was
captured by pirates and sold rs slave.
When asked by the auctioneer ''what
can you do?" the old Cynic, looking
around on the crowd, said, 81 can gov
ern men; therefore sell me to some one
that wants master" The boldness OF
his reply put him into the kind hands
of a wealthy Corinthian.
KILLED THE GOOSE THAT LAID THE
GOLDEN EGG"
Is phrase used to express the folly
of one who destroys the source of pros
perity. Means very nearly the same as
grinding ones seed corn. 1t is derived
from an old Latin fable. In the fable
the hen is used instead of the goose.
1t is stated in the fable, that q certain
woman had a remarkable hen, that laid
a golden egg every day. The old wo-
man supposed that there must be a
large mass of gold in the hen, and kill
ed her to get 1t out. But she was sur
prised to find nothing in the hen except
what is found in other hens. And thus
the avariciOus desire to get mass of
gold destroyed the source of getting
one egg per day.
NE SUToR ULTRA CREPEDAh.
A cobbler should not go beyond his
last. That is, no one ought to criticise
things about which he knows nothing.
The origin of this proverb came from
Appelles, the famous Greek painter
His custom was, when he had finished
painting, to expose it in the street for
the criticism of the passers-by, and to
listen to their remarks from behind a
screen, in order to profit by them. One
day, shoemaker, having seen, some
thing wrong in the tying on of the shoe,
made just criticism on it. The next
day the cobbler found the defect cor
rected. Proud of his criticism, he next
objected to the leg OF the figure in
which there was nothing to censure.
The painter then stepped from behind
his curtain, and babe the shoemaker
stick to his trade. This gave birth to
the proverb. A cobbler should not go
beyond his trade to criticisc things.
CUTTING THE GORDIAN KNOT.
This well known adage, which is sy-
nonymous with an attempt to solve an
Intricate and perplexing difficulty, had
its origin thus: Gordius, peasant, af-
terward king of Phrygia, once while
In a field, saw an eagle perch
upon the yoke of his oxen and remain
there all day. Being alarmed at what
was believed to be an omen of good or
evil, he went to consult the soOthsayers
of Telmessus, city of Lydia, which
was famous in those days for the science
of anything. On entering the city he
met beautiful maiden to whom he re-
lated the circumstance. She assured |
him that the prodigy pOrtended his ele-'
walton to the throne, and she offered to |
become his wife and share his fortune. |
Gordius accepted the offer, and they |
were married. Shortly after this, q Sc |
dition broke out among the Phrygians, |
who, it seems, had been living without |
a ruler. They resOrted to the oracles |
for advice how to stop this anarchy |
They were directed to choose a King, |
and, for this purpose, to note the first |
man who should pass the temple of Ju-
piter, driving an ox-cart. Assured by |
the oracles that this person was to be /
their King, they ran to the temple |
where GOrdius soon made his appear
ance, driving an Ox-cart. The people !
saluted him as their King !
to commemorate his elevation |
to the throne, dedicated his ox-cart, in /
the temple, to regal majesty. He fast
ened q knot to the beam of the cart, so
dexterously involved, that the Oracles |
promised the dominion of the world to |
the man who should unite it. Great /
numbers tried in vain to loosen it. At |
length Alexander the Great came and /
made trial, but failing, he drew his
sword and severed the wonderful knot
This is the history of cutting the Cor
lian knot
Sheaf Oats for Forage.
In answer to the inquiry What
shall we grow in the place of corn fod-