The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1891-05-19
wELL-kNowN SAYINGS.
Tho Origin OF Some Phrases Tint Have
Become Provcrbial.

Tho Origin OF Some Phrases Tint Have
Become Provcrbial.
1t will be found ON examination that
most sayings may be traced back to "a
literary origin, says the New York Sun.
What more common, popular maxim is
there than that DEMONSTRATION is the
thief of timc?' Yet it is the first line
of that most deadly dull of books,
Ioung's Might Thoughts" Crowds of
people have been bcfoolcd in imagining
that "Thc Lord tcmpers the wind to the
shorn lamb" is Il biblical saying, vet it
is only as old as Sterncs sentimental
Journey" Everybody knows about the
man who read 'lIamlet" ut an advanced
age, and said he would have liked it if
1t had not been SO full OF ''chcstnuts."
The fact is that Il great part of it has
become provcrbial, and so common
property. We no longer have to read
the play to imbibe lot of it's philoso-
ply, for it is floating in the air about us.
On the other hand, some sayings I'M
doubtedly have u popular origin. a
splendid example of the evolution of
one occurs in the old testament, in the
history of Saul. When the future first
king of Israel appeared among the
prophets the people were astonishcd.
lie had been of a rather frivolous dispo-
sition. Some man in the crowd OK
claimed: us Saul also among the proph-
cts?" The expression caught on, and it
has been familiar saying ever since.
We have among ourselves 4 very good
example of the same sort in the express
sion: ~ good enough Morgan till after
election
a difficulty here meets us. How is it
that among eastern illiterate nations
proverbs OF the most perfect form and
literary finish are found? The same
state of affairs occurs in Spain.
The explanation lies in the fact that
in both cases the people are able to get
ut literature vicariously. In Persia and
the east generally the professional
story-tclcr comes to n village. In the
evening the Inhabitants sit around tho
tent and he tells them tales. many of
them thousands of years old and full OF
the condensed wisdom of ages. In
Spain the mulctccr who wanders about
the country fills exactly the same po-
sition and to the literature popularized
by him must be largely attributed the
richness of Spanish in proverbs.
Tony Weller was the provcrb-spinner
of the Piclwiclz crowd. lie got his fac
ulty in the very same way that the
Spanish mulctccr and the Persian story.
teller got theirs. He met great many
people in his trips on the coach and
his sayings got sharpness and clcarness
of outline with every fresh repetition.
No doubt many of them were rctailcd
by countless apprcciativc hearers.
In the same way, the Jarvcy in the
south of Ireland is by nature manu-
facturer of proverbs. He is part of all
that he has met, and as action and re-
action are equal and opposite, all that
he has met become part of him.
When Il proverb has gained sure
place in one language, and strikes some
observer of different race and civiliza.
ton, there is difficulty about transport
ing it bodily. If it be eastern it will
have Il reference that will not, for in
stance, appeal to westerns. What then
happens is that it is localized. 1t is
treated in the very way that names
are altered i'll n good story to give it
local color. In this way an eastern
proverb about camel becomes
western one about horse, and SO on.