The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1888-07-18
WOMAN IN PROVERBS.
Rather piscourteous Treatment at
the Hands of Philosophical Rhym-
sters.
London Standard

London Standard
The proverbs Of most countries are rich in
all subjects relating to woman, although fire.
quently they are far from complimentary.
Indeed, 1t Is curious that In some sources of
literature we should find SO much ill-natured
Observation-Disclosures as unjust as 1t is untrue
On the other hand, many of the traits of
woman's character are very cleverly and
saptly depicted, and occasionally put man in
g s.s 8 81 I.f f sfss
woman win. she can," saying which has
Its equivalent in other Countries Hence
too, we are warned how:
The mans fool who thinks by force or skin
To stem the torrent of woman's will:
IDd s sSs w wn she sb WILL you may depend ont
ont. an Gnu
Within the lines may be compared the COM
mon maxim, "A woman convinced against
her willis Of the same opinion STILL" Wheth.
or y De called obstinacy or not, there can be
no doubt that strong will on the part of a
woman is no unenviable Characteristic. be-
ing one, also, which is invaluable to men
when engaged in the business of life. The
notion that woman can not keep secret is
empoaled IN many proyerb, and is alluded
TO by Shakespeare, who makes HotsDur Saw
to his wife Henry w.: '
Constant you are
But yet woman; and for secrecy
NO lady closer; for well believe
Ihou wilt not utter what thou dost not knou
ana so lar VIII trust thee. gentle Kate.
!. Accordingly, there is familiar proyerb
!. Alwoman conceals what she does not know
Similarly the Spanish are wont to saw saTo
woman and magpie tell what you would
SPEAK IN me market place. But this, it
must be admitted, is an unfair reproach' a
woman being as capable of keeping secret
as one OF her opposite sex. Ineeed. as Mr.
Kelly remarks in his book on proverbs "If
there be truth in proverbs, men have no right
70 IepTosch women for blabbing A woman
the subject of her age" The industry Of
women has long been proverbial, as in the
couplet: 'Ao
The woman that's honest, her chiefest delight
Is sun 10 be doing from morning till night
With which we may compare the common
maxim, "A woman's work is never at an
end" On the other hand, il was formerIv
said of the woman who, after being a busy
lndustrious maid, became an INDECENT wife
She hath broken an elbow at the church
door, the ceremony of the church porch
where oftentimes part of the marriage was
RECOMMENDING disabled her for domes-
TIC duties. Thus another adage affirmed how
The wife that expects to have a good name
Is Always at nome, as if she were lame,
Accord ing to our forefathers, it did not
look wen Tor woman to be always sight
seeing, as such was an indication that She
was not suinclently domesticated, and was
700 Iond OF pleasure. Hence it was usually
4 Az woman oman Oft seen, a gown oft worn,
Are disesteemed and held In sc0rn.
Even at the present day, according to a
well-known Yorkshire pIoyerb. "a zonk-
y wisa u e ba gossip MS seldom good house
speak of the ickieness Of women bn Rio sTev
TINS Is libel ON their constancy. We have
only 10 refer to the pages of our history in
centuries past to prove the falsity of this as
ser.io ons. but me majority of old English
ular one reminds us that ''womar's mind and
winter change Oft" and again:
The love OF a woman and a bottle of wine
are sweet i0r season and last for a time
Francis l. of France, it may be remem-
bered, wrote one day with diamond on a
window 81 the Chateau of Chambord these
words: "a woman changes oft; who trusts
her is right soft" According to Mr.. ,Jeaffre,
son, in his Brides and Bridals," ii was mart
ly due to fickleness and hesitancy that wom-
en- were prone to do the very thing which. at
tine moment Of doing it, they declare they
would never do. Thus one adage tells MS
how maids say nay, and take kiss, ring
or an offer of marriage" On the same nri5'
ciple it is commonly said, take woman's
first advice, and not her second" The rea-
son for this is that women are apt to surpass
men in quickness Of Intuition, having. to
quote DIR. Trench's words, What Montaigne
ascribes to them is remarkable word.
PEsprif Prime-Sautier-th leopard's spring
which takes its prey. If it be to take h at Aft
at the hrst bound /" Among some of the
many other proverbs relating to women is
the familiar one: A 20
There's no mischief in the world done
But women is always one,
This is somewhat severe judgment. and
one which must be received with all caution
According to another adage: women in
mischief are wiser than men, and it is said
that "Women's jars breed mems war;" The
Germans have the following variation of this
proverb: There's no mischief done in the
world but there's woman or priest at the
bottom of it," An old adage which has be-
come household saying, with a slight
this: "Maidens must be seen and not
heard" piece of proverbial philosophy, in
deed, which finds but small recognition in
these days Of women's rights. Hence the
familiar saying that ''Silence is the best Or
nament OF woman" although true in the
abstract, is one which nowadays is consid-
eIeu antlquated. And even as Mrs. Jeaffre-
sun rlghtly remarks, "When we concede to
woman the use of her tongue, proverbial
pnli9sophy insists, in harmony with Shaks-
Pealian opinion, that she should talk gently
~ accoraancs with the wise precept lin the
Tha ,wlsuohl, IN the wife gentleness.
Inc talking propensities of women
have been embodied in tba "oiI nnt
very fattering proverb which tells ms how
Three women and three geese make q naor
ket. Turning in the next place To The haan
ty Of women, there are numerous sav 1usu-