Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1888-04-26
OPINIONS AND NATIONS.

things: cheating as an American,
drunken as Swiss, jealous as a Spaniard,
revengeful as Corsican, quarre!some
as German, proud as Scotchman, and
cold as Dutchman."
Another French saying is, The Ital-
ian is wise in time, the German at the
time, the Frenchman after time"
In Spain it is said. "The Euglishman
is drunkard, the Frenchman a scamp,
the Dutchman butterman. and the
Spaniard cavalier" and again, ait is
best to be born in Italy, to live in France,
and to die in Spain"
The Russians say, "EngliShmen 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 Frenchman makes. the
German sells, the Pole buys and the
Russians take from him.
The Italians say, "When trouble comes.
the German browns it in drink, the
French talk it down, the Spaniard meets
It with tears, the Italian goes to sleep
till it is past"
The saying of the Emperor Charles
V, characterizing the European Ian
guages, is well known, but will bear be-
ing quoted again: "Pray to God in Span
ish, talk to ladies in Italian, chatter
French to friends, twitter English with
the birds, and swear German at the
horses"
The Spaniards say, "The Portuguese
are lie-a-beds; the French sit-at- tables
and the Spaniards lounge -at-windows." !"
There is a sneer and real spite in the
designation Of rat by Bohemian as
"a German mouse" and by a Slovak of
frog as "a German erab," and of a
thistle as "a German rose" So also in
Lithuania, whiriwind is called 80 Ger
man messenger" No love is implied
by the Russian VIXEN he talks Of foolish
laughter as "the giggie of German
over pancake"
1t is said of Poland that it is ''the hell
OF farmers, the paradise of Jews, the
purgatory of the middle-class, the gold
mine of the stranger, and heaven of the
nobleman.'
Dutehmen call the Engiishman a
stsert man, that is man with tail, be-
cause in ITO, according to the legend,
Thomas Beckett had cursed some men
who cut off the tail of the horse on
which he was riding, and ever after the
men of Kent wore tails. And because
the men of Kent, therefore all English
men.
Among the Germans, England is said
to be the paradise of women and the
purgatory Of servants, but a far worse
place than that for horses.
About the French say the Italians,
''They do not tell what they intend to
do, or read what is written. nor sing the
notes before them;" and German says,
"a Frenchman is a good acquaintance,
but poor neighbor."
Perhaps the Greeks fare worse in the
opinions of those who have to do with
them, if we may judge by the sayings
concerning them that pass from mouth
to mouth. Among the South SIav races
this is especially the case.
They say, Three Turks and three
Greeks make up three heathen;" and "a
crab is not fish, nor Greek a true
man," and again, "a Greek speaks the
truth once year," and once more, "A
gypsy cheats Jew, jew Greek, and
a Greek the devil"
The Venetians say, "Ee who trusts
the word of Greek is more fool than
the madman;" even in Normandy the
bad repute of the Greek has passed into
q, rh M hn 10 70 "a,
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
as such are regarded proverbially in
France. "Go to Holland" means, Eyade
paying your debts. And to say of a man.
''He is of Flanders" is the same as say
ing, "He is ruined nan"
Mynheer Van Dunek, though he neY-
er was drunk, slipped brandy and whisky
daily-for Dutchman's beer must be
deep as the rolling Zuyder Zee. That
VEAL know, and to drink like Dutch
man is everywhere proverbial.
OF Italians it is said by the French,
"Half one is too much in house," and
the nlyrian says of the italian what the
Englishman and the German say of
the Swiss, "He would sell his own father
Tor gold"
The Jew shares with the Greek tie
prerogative of being the best-abused of
all nations, proverbially.
The German says. "The Jew cheats
even while praying;" and the inhabitant
of Lesser Russia, ''The jew did not learn
to cheat; he was born with the faculty"
"Rich as jew" is said everywhere
Files and Jews can never be driven
away" is less known.
To build castles in the air is rendered
in French, having castle in Spain.
Compliments that mean nothing are
called spanish cOin;" and in Italy,
poison is designated euphemisticaIy
Spanish figs" because Spaniards are
supposed to poison those they desire to
be rid Of with fruit in which arsenic has
been inserted.
The Swiss is net known proYerbially
for his patriotism, but for his mercenary
nature. NO kreutZer, no Schwitzer,"
is common saying in Germany; and
the French version is the same.
One evening when Genevan actress
and Swiss company were performing
"William Tell" in Paris, they had an
empty house. The actress came forward
and said, 81 see-the proycrb is revers-
ed. To-day it is, No money, plenty OF
Swiss"
In England they speak of carrying
Goals to Newcastle when they wish to
designate the absurdity of sending