Arizona weekly enterprise., 1888-03-03
PROVERBS OF THE NATIONS.
What the Various Peoples Say of Them.
 selves and Others.

serves ana OthecS.
 In Spain it is said: "The Englishman is drunkard, the Frenchman a scamp, the Dutchman butterman and the Spaniard a cavalier;" and again: 1t 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.
 It is said in Poland: "What the Ital- ian invents the Frenchman makes, the German sells, the Pole buys and the Rus Sians take from him.
 The Italians say: ''When trouble comes the German drowns 1t in drink, the Frenchman talks it down, the Span iard meets it with tears, the Italian goes to sleep till it is past.
 Among the Germans England is said to be the paradise of women and the pur- gatory of servants, but far worse place than that for horses.
 About the French say the Italians = ''They do not tell what they intend to do, nor read what is written, ncr sing the notes set before them;" and German says: "A Frenchman is good acquaint- ance, but bad neighbour a truth which Prince Bismarck is never tired of inn pressing on the people, and urging them accordingly to enlarge the standing army. The negroes in a French colony say: ''Mouche (Monsieur) Connaitout pas con- nait tout'-Mr. Know-all don't know at all.
 Perhaps the Greeks fare worst of all 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 southern Slav races this is especially the case. They say: ''Three Turks and three Greeks make up six heathens;n and "A crab is not fish, nor $ Greek a true man;' and again, "A Greek speaks the truth once year;n and once more, "A Gypsy cheats Jew, a Jew a 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 who obtains. something quite unexpectedly is said to have s'got paid by Creek
 Holland and Flanders have both been places of refuge for bankrupt and fraud | ulent Frenchmen for a long time, and as such are regarded proverbially in France. 'sGo to Holland" means evade paying your debts. And to say of a man ssIl est de Flandres," is the same as saying he is a ruined man.
 Mynheer Van Dunck, though he never was drunk, slipped brandy and whisky daily-for the Dutchman's draught must be deep as the rolling Zuyder Zee. That we all know, and to drink like Dutch man is everywhere proverbial
 Of Italians 1t is said by the French :: ''Half one is too much in the house." and the Illyrian says of the Italian, what the Engiishman and the German say of the Swiss: "He would sell his own father for gold"
 The Jew shares with the Greek the i prerogative ot being the best abused of all peoples proyerbially.
 The Pole says:
 The German cheats the Pole,
 1 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 Jew.
 The German says: '.The Jew cheats even while praying;" and the inhabitant of Lesser Russia: HThe Jew did not learn to cheat; he was born with the faculty"
 To build castles in the air is rendered in French, having a castle in Spain. Compliments that mean nothing arc called Spanish coin; and in Italy, poison is designated euphemistically Spanish figs,'' because Spaniards are supposed tc poison those they desire to be rid of with fruit in which arsenic has been inserted.
 The Swiss is not known proverbially for his patriotism, but for his mercenary nature ''No keutzer, no Schwitzer, '' is common saying in Germany, and ''Point argent, point de Suisse" is the French version of the same. One even ing when distinguished Genevan ac. tress and Swiss company were perform, ing ''William Fell'' in Paris they had ar empty house. The actress came forward and said: 'sI see-the proverb is re- versed. Today it is no money, plenty of Swiss"
 We speak of carrying coals to New. castle when we wish to designate the absurdity of sending something to where there is superfuity; in Russia they speak of sending snow to L.apland 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 as being like goat in Norway New York Commercial Advertiser.