Connecticut western news., 1877-08-24
HINDOO PROVERBS.


 half 30 much shrewd sense or original thought in Hindoo as in Arabic or Persian proverbs. But the Hindoo adages are SO essentially Indian that the idea they contain acquires an in- terest from the novelty with which 1t is treated. The power of money for instance, is alluded to in the proverbs 1 of every nation, but only Bengalee would think of saying, "One could buy oneself tigers eyes if one had only money" or when in difficulty, de- claring it was as hard to do, "as to kill seven snakes with one stroke" "Old servants and old rice are best" is kind of Hindoo proverb reminding us that fidelity is not unknown In the East. In many Indian proverbs we find that half-humorous observation of the habits of animals, which we | might expect in the authors of 50 many fable books. They say of a hypocrite, ''The crane is a choice saint" referring to the sanctimonious l gravity with which that bird waits for it's prey; and they compare a fussy man to the small saphari fish splash ing in basin of water.
 'The sandal-tree does not grow In every wood," is thoroughly Hindoo proverb, and so is "You can never wash charcoal white." Some of these l sayings require knowledge of Hin doc customs before they can be un- derstood, as "He's oiling his hands while the jack-fruit is still on tho tree," saying applied to people who count their chickens before they are hatched-it being nenessay to oil the hands before touching jack fruit, which exudes glutinous juice.
 The blind of Hindostan have the credit, especially when they turn beg gars, of being rogues, and there is Q proberb, "The blind man is to the house what the rank weed is to water" Nor are all proberbs that ap- ply to Brahmins equally compliment tary, for there are some as bitter as the old medieval jokes against greedy priests. A furious encounter the Ben- gal people call "a serpent and ichneu- mon fight" from the inveterate hos tility of the two animals.
 A terrible phase of Hindoo life Is suggested by 8 curious Bengalee pro- verb that says a man in tigers mouth is not so much afraid of the tigers teeth as the jungle of he is going to-meaning that even in the presence of great calamities small future ones seem more terrible. An equally cruel enemy of the Hindoo, is alluded to in the prudent proverb, "Whati dwell in the water and quarrel with Q croco- dile?'
 Many of these proverbs turn on my thological and traditionary allusions i; for instance, a man impatient of wait ing for an appointment will say, "How much longer shall stand and hold Lakshman's fruit2" The gentleman referred to held some fruit for his le- gendary brother Ram fourteen years without eating it. Here is one which is full or oriental color :-'"The brace lets tinkle on the lady's arm, and the fool cries, She is taking up rice for me-" Here, too, is one Hindoo all over: ''The snake-charmer can hear the snake sneeze;" intimating that 8 man understands the business on which he is always engaged. And here are two more: "I won't give you the water wash my cowries in," and ''The pin fish goes on falling into the hands of bad cook" The pin fish is a great delicacy, and the proverb means that a clever person can never be understood by a fool. "He breaks a cocoanut on another's head" Is 6 Bengalee way of saying that man has gained something to the loss of another. "Plantain sauce and parched rice" is Hindostanee way of express ing complete incongruity. "The mother of many never reaches the Oranges" is Hindoo way of saying, "Everybody's business is nobody's business" and that the body will re- main unburied.
 There is a good, wholesome spite in some of these proverbs of Hindostan, that prove fair amount of scolding can be carried on either in Bengalee or Mahrattah. If one low fellow praises another Hindoo says, 'The ballad singer praises the cowherd," two very low castes. If a poor man gives him. self airs he is pretty soon told at the bazaar or the bathroom that he is only the hornbearer's bagbearer." If the trader is sluggish in business the proverb that is thrown at him is, "Rub your nose with mustard oil and go to sleep," an allusion to a custom of the poorer Hindoos of snufdng up lamp oil to induce sleep.
 A truly lazy proverb and thoroughly characteristic of the country is this one:-''H l can find mangoes at the plantain's foot, why should I look under the mango tree?" If an upstart talks like rich or great man, they say, Here's hireling on thirty cow ries giving drafts on Chittagong." Use- less trouble is called "Going to Ceylon for grain of turmeric."
 There Is no country where the pro- verbs are founded more on local cus- toms than in Hindostan. "A great mans word Is like the elephants tusk," (not to be concealed or with drawn) is 8 common Hindoo saying A false devotee they compare to "a tiger in a sacred grove." To vulgar boastful fellow, strutting about over. dressed, some one Is sure to cry, "A red mango in the apes paw, and the ape cries Ram, ram, words of delight and lastly, to close our specimens when one man has gained an object by hard labor and another tries to gain the same without work, the saying used Is, "One man kills himself with pounding the rice and another fills his cheeks with 1t smoking hot.-Lo,a' don Globe.
 Dr. ShilOh,S System Vit0liZers