Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1891-12-31
OLD SAWS.
Homely and Quaint Sayings of
Olden Times.
They Take Us Back to the Days of Our
ChildhOOd-A New Amusement
for the Long Winter
Evenings.

These lonely and quaint sayings Of
I'VE oldyn tyne" are all SO perfect for
brevity, truth and wisdom that the
more we reflect on the forcible mean
ings and warnings they convey the
more we love and respect our good an
cestors who originated'them-providing
they always ''practiced what they
preached"
1t is an exquisite delight which soon
becomes a fascination to sit down quiet
~ and think out of our memory's store
house these condensed chunks of wis
dom which were burned into US when
we were young and thoughtless and
which have lain there dormant ever
since.
They take Us back again to days of
childhood and once more we see and
hear our parents and grandparents and
kind old neighbors, and cross ones, too,
firing the chestnuts at US in the hope
of saving us future troubles and costly
experiences.
OF course we never appreciated them
nor understood one-tenth of what the
maxims meant-if we had we might be
a good deal happier now, but of that
1.-The less said the better" and mo use
crying over split milk"
How the old saws bubble out of our
think tanks when we try to remember
them. There seems no end to the pro-
cession.
Experience is a dear teacher"
l. l,s,
wise men by the experience of others. :"
How often those two have been
drummed in our ears. Fools laugh at
their own folly-A fool and his money
are soon parted-A fool for luck-Fools
never die" Our cross old neighbors
must have told US those.
Take the word dog" and you have:
Barking dogs never 'bite-Let sleep
ing dogs lie-Like dog in the Manager
Dog eat dog-Hair of the dog to cure
its bite-Gone to the digestive dog
a bad name and then hang him
Whipped cur breads the LASH" and
more.
Take the devil and there come
more maxims about him than you can
shake stick at"
whipping the devil around the
stump-The devil is not as black as
he's painted-The devil take the hind
most-Speak of the devil, he's sure to
appear-Thc devil takes care of his
own-The devil finds work for idle
hands to do-The devil was sick, the
devil a monk would be; the devil got
well, but devil monk was he-The
devil turks behind the cross-Each
man for himself and the devil for US
all-Hell is paved with good intentions
When hell freezes over the devil can
skate-Fighting the devil with fire."
and something about the devil going
to church and seeing Il saint, but we've
forgotten it.
The word ear calls forth: Eager
ears hear nightingale at one ear, out
at the other-A flea in his ear-Little
pitchers have big ears. :"
Pot gives US: "a watched pot
never boils-Pot calling the kettle black
Pot luck-What makes q pot will
make pot lid" and many others
The children" must have been as
troublesome long ago as they are now.
For instance: Spare the rod and spoil
the child" though in latter days this is
properly reversed. "A burnt child
breads the fre-Children and fools
speak the truth-Children should be
seen and not heard-Boys will be boys
You can't expect old heads on young
shoulders-Al work and no play makes
Jack a dull boy-Children should not
play with edged tools-Don't send
boy on a mas errand-Making a pig
of him elf"
Nothing seems to be said about girls
or babies; probably they were too good
to need any advice or correction OF
domestic animals the horse and dog
(already stated and sheep and hogs
are noticed, leaving the gentle COW out
Locking the stable door after the
horse is stolen-Eating his head of
For want of a nail the shoe was lost;
for want of shoe the steed was lost;
for want of a steed the rider was lost
Much cry and little wool-Pulling
the wool over his eyes-A wolf in
sleeps clothing-As innocent as a
lamb-Root hog or die-You can't make
a silk purse out of a sow's ear-Casting
pearls before swine" etc
Oats, hay and straw make one think
Of "Straws show how the wind blows
men clutch at straws-
Hunting a needle in hay stack-Msze
hay while the sun shines-Hey's for
horses, straws for cows-He feels his
as wheat-The last straw
breaks the camel's back-Acknowledge
the corn" etc.
Money was as important an article
10 our grandpops as if is now. and
economy was preached for all it was
worth
penny wise and pound foolish
Save at the spigot and lose at the buug
Take care of the pence. the pounds
viii take care of themselves-Easy
come, easy goa fool and his money
soon part-In time of prosperity pre.
pare for adversity-Lay up something
for rainy day-You can't eat your
cake and have it too-Those who
dance must pay the piper-Don't buy
what you don't want because It is
is good to keep a nest egg