Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-04-11
Sayings Of the Turk that are Very Like
Our Own.

be," he Is very far from being inarticulate.
Strange as it may seem to those who have
formed their opinion of him from hearsay, it is
not the less true that he is commonly good
conversationalist, and can say well and point
eddy what he has got to say, with wealth
of illustration in anecdote, quotation and
proverb. The latter form commends itself
especially to the contentious Turkish mind.
The synthetic form of the language too, secures
brevity and conciseness, and opportunities are
afforded for those constant assonances or
rhyming vowels which are SO dear to the ORR
several hundred turkish proverbs. taken doWs
in the course of reading and conversation, or
borrowed from collection made at the ORR
entail academy at Vienna, the writer has
amused himself by grouping them roughly
under certain heads, to illustrate some
aspects of the national character and sur
But first it may be interesting to remark how
many well-known English and other European
proverbs have their exact counterpart in Turk
ish. How far are these to be accounted for by
contact with, or conquest of, Indo- European
races? Or has it been q case of "les beaux es-
prits Sc rencontrent?" For instance, we find
You shall not look a gift-hOrse in the mouth"
In exactly the same words, as well as HE that
Is born to be hanged will never be drowned"
the Turkish version having the advantage of
being expressed in two words. The change of
fisher" "One flower does not make summer"
and "The robe does not make the dervish:"
while in Turkey it is not pot that says to kettle,
but negro to negro, that his face is black
We are disposed to prefer THE nail saved
the shoe. the Shoe the horse, the horse the man,
the man the kingdom" to our some what lun.
bering For want of a nail the shoe was lost"
&c. wake not the sleeping dog" has a
snd we
out thorn, nor love without rival" One in
stance in which our pro verbal wisdom is OPP
preston "to kill two birds with one stone"
The attempt to do this is condemned by sundry
down two birds, and you cannot Knock down down
nine walnuts with one stone."
Often we are reminded OF scriptural proverbs
world sounds Solomonian enough, while "Out
with the eye that profits me not, "The negro
which thou sowest that also shalt thou reap"
are strikingy like New Testament teaching.
Again and again We find expressed in other
justice that would not be unworthy of q Chris
Iian teacher, as "The strangers prayer is
thousand is stronger ing than
close your eyes" "In truth is right" Justice is
half religion, "Neighbors right, Gods right"
The heading under which, perhaps, the largest
number OF proverbs can be grouped is that of
opportune speech and silence. II the Turk, as
has been said, talks well, he also knows how
to hold his tongue. He looks down with the
greatest contempt on the idle chatterer and
does not even think that good manners require
him to make small talk when he has nothing
to say. In fact, when on visit to a well-bred
Turk, with whom you have no common subjects
gested by politeness-his health, your own, that
OF your family, the weather, and the water ia
most interesting topic in the east)-you may
safely fall back upon that golden silence which
their proverb, like ours, rates above silver
speech. Hear his comments on the chatterer:
the FOO is he w aHS D alons
talks, and is his only listener" 'The fool
wears his his heart on his tongue the wise man
words an unsound heart" He warns us of the
mischief nas i. Of evil speaking ,'Ihe knifes wound
more than the sword, p and sThe tongue is bone
less, but it breaks bones" Again, he feels
heeniy the danger OF free speech under cor
and good faith, and generally condemns lying
The latter is condoned in certain cases, for
Ie but WITH nth pa Tne ana we ay
Is even strongly recommended, for is not the
"truth;teler banished out of nine cities?' while
HE who holds his tongue saves his head" and
not, saw not -
quote few sayings still familiar in our Turks
mouth, which have survived the corruption of
the palace and official kings, and seem still to
breathe the hardy and independent spirit ofthe
old days, when courage and enterprise were the
only passports to the highest places in con-
.'The horse is to him who mounts, the sword to
him who girds it on" "The brave mans word
is coat OF MAIL" Fortune is not far from the
chance" Who but, a conquering race race
Power on my head or st the raven p0r on m as
corpse" and who can fail to hear a true ring in
feasant erect IS taller than noble on Bonded
knee or Il ann the slave of him who regards
me- the king of him who disregards me-"
Almsgiving is creditable, for 1.-THE hand which
gives is above that which takes" and it offers
temporal advantages as well as spiritual. In
this world "No one cuts the hand that gives, )"
and What thou givest that shalt thou take
cepting aims or f:avors if you would keep your
seli-respect, and accept the !argess Of thy
friend nea as IL If thou tho vert an enemy"
mountains fear the rich man." It covers null
titude of Iaiiings, and averts many ills. "If
mans money is white, no matter if his face be
black" ",The knife cuts not hand of gold"
But then the disadvantages and dangers of it
in land where empty treasures are filled by
the suppression of Il few rich men and the con-
tiscation of their properly! Truly the vacuns
rtator has the better part where brigands
can strip naked man." Our turk is man Of
few wants-pilatSoffe and tobacco are enough
for TO- him, and SO he will rest contented in the
rejecting that "a big head has a big ache"
that HE who has many vineyards has many
strife,' He is not likely to make fortune in
business, being destitute of the enterprise, as
to success. "The bazaar knows neither father
nor mother" and our easy-going friend has a
his religion forbids him either to speculate or
to put out money at interest, although he
sometimes avoids this prohibition by the clumsy
e ea] OF hctltious sale or "a present"
1t is a pity that his rulers should not have
prohted by his experiences of debt. "Poor
without debts is better than prince" "a thou
sand cares do not pay one debt ;" and "Creditols
have better memories that debtors, Z" are explicit
enough, but, perhaps, were not supposed to
apply to government loans.
We find some sound advice on the subject of
friendship. DO not expect your friend to be
paragon-"Who seeks faultless friend rests
keep him1"oid friend, old bath You will m Do
better to change neither, and if he is "a true
friend he is better than a relation" On the
other hand, avoid the British error of under
rating your foe; he is always dangerous "Water
sleeps, the enemy wakes" and "Be thine enemy
ant, see in him an elephant" for "a thou
sand friends are few, one foe many"
The references to woman are as ungallant al
they are unjust. She is to be treated as child.
and as such contemptuously pardoned for her
shortcomings. ''You should lecture neither
child nor woman" it would be waste of time.
Her intelligence, too, is underrated-"her hair
mother "makes the house and mars it." and
she is classed with good wine as "a sweet
poison" But it must be admitted that in this
want of gallantry the Turk is far surpassed by
the Persian, who says: "The dog is faithful,
woman never"
The lover is regarded as a lunatic. unfit for
the society of his fellows. "If you are in love
fly to the mountains, for "Lover and king brook
no companion" He is "blind," and distance is
nothing to him; for him, "Bagdad is not far"
and the only cure for his malady are "travel
and patience" A word of advice to those about
your daughter above you;" and CHOOSE cloth
by its edge. and a wife bs her mother"
How Ladies Redilen Their Lips.
From the Philadelphia North American.
$50 far as my own experience goes" said a