The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1875-05-07

"All is not gold that gltters," we read in
the Merchant of Venice; or, turning to
Chaucer5 "Yeomans Tale" the same is
found in
"But all things which that shlneth as the gold,
Ne is no gold as have herd It told "
Spencer, in "The Faere Queenc," furnish
cs still another variation: ave find all as
they say, that glitters is not gold"
Tom Moore cheerfully sang, in reply to a
friends admonitory "You know not what
day may bring forth y
"To-day, at least then, to-day be gay,
Whatever tomorrow brings"
Which, doubtless, shocked the would-be
MONITOR though, on the whole, was certain
ly most healthful view of the matter; for,
as an English proverb assures those who are
| always on the alert for trials and tribula-
| tions, ''Ele is truly miserable who feels sor-
| row. but twice so who fears it before it
comes;" or, as the Persians tersely put it,
| "There is no use in crossing bridge until
| you come to it,
Ben. Franklin gave Us many sensible prov
erbs, among which are conspicuous, "Three
| lllpNCS 40 pli 40 hlC dloVJ N'Ou lHOSt
who help themselves" and
| ''vessels large may venture more,
| "But little boats should keep near the Shore"
Yet few, or none were original with Frank
| lin, but rc-dressed.
"Old friends are best" John Sheldon told
the world three hundred years ago. Gold
smith repeated the sentiment when he said
81 love everything that's old-old friends,
old manners, old books, old wine; :" and one
of our modern poets tells those who live at
the present time to
| LAY this into your breast:
Old friends; like old swords, still are trusted the
| best"
"rhere is no great loss without some small
gain," and cts an i'll wind that blows no.
body any good, have their equivalents in
France in the very popular saying "Mis-
fortune is good for something" and in the
Spaniard's equally philosophical one, "There
is no ill but comes of good"
In English we find, at is an easy thing
to bear the sorrows of another :" in the Span
ish it becomes, "Anothers care hangs by a
hair;' while the French have it, Another S
i'll is but dream" and, "We all have for
ttude enough to endure the woes of Others"
The Italians express the same thought in
"One does not feel five hundred blows on
the back of another" and the Russians in
"rhe burden is light on the shoulders of an
other
"Haste makes waste" is derived from an
old Latin prorerb which, in substance, i'm
plies "The more haste the more waste" The
Italians assert that "Quickly and dwell fit not
together" while the Germans advise, 'Tarry
a little that you may make your end the
sooner" With the Scotch the proverb be-
comes, "IIc that rides ere he be ready wants
some o his graith" (equipage).
Applying haste and its ill effects to we'd
lock, we have in the English, marry in
haste, repent at leisure" and in the French,
"Wedlocli rides in the saddle, and repent
ance on the Group"
The unstableness of worldly possessions
expressed in the proverb, "To-day me, to-
morrow it belongs to you,' is derived from
, the Latin, as are "a woman either loves Ol
, hates; :" "IIe who gives promptly gives twice
, as much :" "All things are good with the
q good" this last suggesting the better known
saying, TO the pure all things are pure.
q The Latin "Too much of one good thing i
good for nothing" clashes, proverbs Of diff
r ferent nations frequently do, with the En-
glish, "roo much of any good thing is no
q enough :" the French, "There is not enough
- if there not too much;" and the ScOtcl
maxim, "Therc is nier enough if there
nothing left"
Among the Spanish phrases which assis
l. in swelling the list of familiar proverbs are
{ "There is no fence against fortune; "A liz
has short legs Better be fool than obsti
= \, nate"
"a 1t is quite probable the last quoted owe
= its origin to Latin maxim, which says
l "God sends fools fortune" as also may tn
Spaniards' expression, "Thc mother of Go
= appears to fools :" and the Germans $50
y tune and women are fond of fools"
=, The Italians, who are rich in this sort {
>, love, have given US many of our most sut
!. knows little;" "Poyerty is the mother of a
- arts :" Speak the truth and shame the de-
il" Commend a wife but remain a bacl
elor," being all transations from their lal
,r guage
% We also borrow extensively from Il
- French, Gle that wants health wants ever
thing;' "To laugh in ones sleeve;" IN
of pains, no gains" !" "Sceng is believing
II Glove me, love my dog" and "There is l
-. worse water than that which sleeps" Til
NJ we have converted into "Still waters a
deep" while before either saying was foun
,. the ancients talked of the same matter wh
- they said "Thc deepest river flows with 4
- least sound"
49, German proverbs, like their loye-song
30 are full of worth and beauty, speech is 5
" yer silence is gold, being a fair illuStr
ton;
a bawbee cat may look at king g
man at five may be a fool at tiiteen;' "Au
for men are twice BARNS !" "Blood' thicker tn
r. water = and "a faint heart never won Il
Ter lady" betray the Scotchman's thought.
OIL solomon, who early gave the world sucI
fund of proverbs rarely receives credit
the same. Many have became wondrou'
y, familiar without taking the starting pa
~ =, Among these Bible quotations, attributed
Shakespeare, Thomas \. Kempis and othe
:, are; "The heart knowcth its own bitt
~. ness = "a soft answer turneth away wrath
" "a word fifty spoken is like apples of g
in pictures of silver" Faithful are
wounds of friend, etc.
ius On the other hand these same authors
,h- often robbed of their deserts and their be'
in tiul thoughts accredited to the good boo
ny AS, for instance, "God tempers the wind
his TO the shorn lamb" which originated "