The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1888-02-23
PROVERBS OF THE NATIONS.
What the Various Peoples Say of Them
selves and Others.


selves and Others.
In Spain it is said: "The Englishman is
adrunkard, the Frenchman scamp, the
Dutchman butuerman and the Spaniard
cavalier and again: "It is best to be
born in Italy, to live in France and tc
die in Spain.
The Russians say: '.Englishnen have
their wits at their fingers ends, French.
men at the ends Of their tongues
1t is said in Poland: "What the Ital.
ian invents the Frenchmau makes, the
German sells, the Pole buys and the Rus
slams take from him."
The Italians say: ssWhen trouble
comes the German browns it in drink,
the Frenchman talks it down, the Span.
lard meets it with tears, the Italian goes
to sleep till it is past.
Among the Germans ENGLAND is said
to be Che paradise-of women and the pur-
gatory OF servants, but a far worse place
than that for horses.
About the French say the Italians.
s.They do not tell wllatthey intend to do,
nor read what is written, ncr sing The
notes set before thenl;n and q German
says: "a Frenchman is a good acquaint.
ance, but bad neighbour truth which
Prince Bismarck is never tired of i'm.
pressing on the people, and urging them
accordingly to enlarge the standing army
The negroes in a French colony say
''A1ouche (Monsieur) Connaitout pas con.
matt tout'.Mr. Know-all don't know
at all.
Perhaps the Greeks fare worst of all in
tho Cf tbna,, -l,,,h 4
them, if we may judge by the sayings
concerning them that pass from mouth
to mouth. Among the southern Slav
races this is especially the case. They say
''Three Turks and three Greeks make uI
six A. athens;' and ga crab is not fish.
nor Greek a true man." and again, ga
Greek speaks the truth once year." and
once more, "A Gypsy cheats dew, a
jew Greek, and Greek the devil"
The Venetians say: ''He who trusts
the word of Greek is more fool than
the madman." Even in Normandy the
repute of the Greek has passed into a
proverb, and he VINO obtaips something
quite unexpectedly is said to have "got
paid by Greek
Holland and Flanders have both been
places of refuge for bankrupt and fraud
ulent Frenchmen for long time, and ar
such are regarded proverbially in France.
$50 to Holland'' means evade paving
your debts. And to say of q man 'Il
est de Flandres," is the same as saving
he is ruined man.
MynheeH Van Dunck, though he never
was drunk, slipped brandy and whisky
daily-for the Dutchman draught must
be deep as the rolling Zuyder Zee. That
we all know, and to drink like Dutch
man is everywhere proverbial.
OF Italians it is said by the French
'Half one is too much in the holse:''
and the Illyrian says of the Italian, what
the Englishman and the German say of
the Swiss; .'He would sell his own father
for gold.''
The Jew shares with the Greek the
prerogative of being the best abused OF
all peoples, proverbially.
The Pole says:
The German cheats the Pole,
The Italian cheats the German,
The Spaniard swindles the Italian
The Jew defrauds the Spaniard
But only the devil can get the better of the lew
The German says: s.The Jew cheats
even while praying;" and the inhabitani
of Lesser Russia: ''The Jew did not
learn to cheat; he was born with the
faculty"
To build castles ip the air is rendered
in French, having a castle in Spain.
Compliments that mean nothing are
called Spanish coin; and In Italy, poison
is designated euphemistically 'Spanisl
| figs because Spaniards are supposed tc
| poison those they desire to be rid of witt
| fruit in which arsenic has been inserted
The Swiss is not known proverbially
! for his patriotism, but for his mercenary
nature mo kreutzer, no Schwitzer, y
is a common saying in Germany. and
''Point d'argent, point de Suisse" is the
| French version of the same. One even.
ing when a distinguished Genevan ac.
tress and Swiss company were perform
ing ''William Tell'' in Paris they had al
empty house. The actress came forward
and said: 81 see-the preyerb is re.
versed. Today it Is no money. plenty OF
! Swiss"
We speak of carrying Goals to New.
castle when we wish to designate the
absurlity of sending something to where
there is supertluityi il Russia they speak
of sending snow TO Lapland and in Ger
many Of dispatching deals to Norway
In Holland, when they desire to say that
man is in his element, they describe
him cs being like goat in Norway
| New York Commercial Advertiser,