Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1876-01-13
THE MISCHIEF OF PROVERBS.

THE MISCHIEF OF PROVERBS.
PROVERBS at best are seldom more than
partial truths, and at worst are often the
meanest of falsehoods. They are specious
generally, and their speciousness frequent
ly wells their sophistry and their moral
deformity.
The world owes man a livingn is
one of the pleasant fallacies by which
both lazy and unprincipled fellows seek
to evade duty to themselves and response
bility to others. The world may possibly
owe man living when irreparable ad-
versity has Overtaken him; when he has
failed after repeated trials, or when he
cannot get work. But it certainly does
not if he folds his arms or, through
wretched vanity misnamed pride, refrains
from honest labor which he counts I'M
worthy. He in whose mouth the phrase
ottenest is, is very apt to be profession
al loafer or sponge, or, still worse, gen
teel sWindler-a borrower of money with
out expectation or thought of its return.
He affects to believe that the world is in
debted to him, although he has rendered
it no service; has given it absolutely moth
ing to base an obligation on He is usual
~ drone in the beehive Of life; a claim
ant Of merit he does not possess; a syco-
phant sham and bully combined.
Beware of the man who is vOlubIe
about the debt this busy ball has incurred
by his birth! He is not to be trusted.
Ills fondness for the proverb indicates his
antipathy to wOrk-and the enemy of
work is the enemy OF society-offers lust
ground for suspicion; is an argument
against his character. The few men who
are the worlds creditors will be very
sure to keep silent concerning the fact,
If they recognize it; though the great
probability IS that they Will be too modest
to be conscious of their large deserving.
There is pride in merit that brides
the tongue as well as humbles the iudg-
ment of its own performance. But the
fellow who has the globe on the debit side
of his ledger can rarely balance his ac-
count save by a liberal entry of unmiti-
gable self-conceit
Ali stratagems are fair in love and
war" is one Of the most atrocious senti-
ments ever uttered. An ingenious devil
try lies in its wording; for it couples two
things that are entirely opposite Love is
the antipode of war; not its contradiction
alone, but its extinction Assent to the
latter part of the proverb mightbe readily
gained; but never to the former from anv
L nf mo e
the verbal continuance is therefore palpa-
BILE. The enormity of half the phrase is
concealed in the plausibility of the other
half
Stratagems in love? Who can think of
them without adherence? The connec-
ton is unnatural, inhuman. Mephistoph-
eles turks in the suggestion. Love is the
one thing above aught else that should be
dealt with in strictest honesty; that should
be reverenced, worshiped, glorifed. To
take any advantage of love would be-if
anything were-an objectionable sin; for
love is the queen of virtues, the angel part
OF our common humanity. 1t is so pure,
SO sweet, so tender, SO generous, so noble,
SO contiding, so spontaneous, that to
wrong it by a thought-much more to de-
ceive it's wicked in the extreme. And
then to employ stratagem deliberately,
and likewise to justify it, is simply infa-
nous. He would be bold indeed who
should have the courage to father so vile
maxim. The bitterest cynic has never
said anything to surpass or exceed this
which strikes at all faith, and in It's spirit
aims to strangle what is best IN human
nature.
Not one person in a hundred that quote
the words takes in their entire meaning.
The attention is directed to stratarem and
War-those two terms llnger in the men,
ory--and love and the suggestion of its
monstrous treatment are kept in the back
ground until familiarity with the phrase
renders the whole acceptable. If the
adage should be so curtailed as to include
love only, there are not many who would
not be startled by its utterance. Then it
would stand-it should so stand with its
present appendage-as a semi-apology Of
Toates and profigates to public decency;
and the right kind of people would never
mention it except in condemnation.
Charity begins at home" is generally
the excuse of selfshness for lack OF gener-
oslty- Yet many who are not naturally
seinsn may be made so by taking what
they deem prudential admonition too
much to heart. Applied to the over
liberal the proverb may be, and doubt
less often is, corrective. The mischief is
that they who need its restraining influence
seldom use or heed it In the main, it is