The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1896-01-18
CRISP FORMS OF THOUGHT.
SOLOMON AND TuPPER TWISTED
TO SUIT A MODERN TRADE.

NHe-rl .tEr1I
The Wisdom of the Snges and the Wit
of the Masses, Even the Work of the
Missionaries, Are Grist in the Mill
They Are Poached Upon by Authors
aud Advertisers
Whether Solomon invented all his PROV
cribs or gathered them from many sources
with a nicer sense Of permanent worth
than Nh Topper exercised in his later
compendium Is and ever will be an open
question. Solomon's copyright ran on,
long before Tupper's time, and both are
now poached upon with %inipunity by all
classes, from authors to advertisers. But,
taken by themselves, proverbs well repay
careful study. Students of %etlnologS
find In tho proverbs of the different races
the clearest proofs of their real character
istics, for they are the shrewdest and yet
most TINA expressions of their daily
life.
Judged by the comparison of these
homely sayings it will be found tint all
nations are of one kindred, possessing
common needs, common aspirations, aud
seeking similar rcllefs from toll and labor.
On the busiest shelves of our libraries
mny be foundc collections of all the PROV
erbs OF the different nations, quite q
large proportion of the work having re-
suited from the interest which mission
aries have taken In their earnest studies
of the unciyilized peoples whom they seek
to instruct. That tile shrewd sayings Of
the Scotch or the bright hits Of the Irish
should be carefully collected gives little
cause for surprise; but u collection of
Abyssinian proverbs. of those of the
Tamil language. of Icclandic lore, of the
5anscrit, South Sea Island, Chinese, and
aottentot Solomons does excite curiosity.
The missionaries nave found 1t n pleasant
as well us a profitable task. 1t delves
deep into the idiolns OF the language, tells
with unerring accuracy the mental ten
dency of the people, and by Introducing
the foreigner into the inner thought of
both home and trade shows him the real
lie OF those who adopt them as every
day expressions.
1t is impossible to read tho well-coliated
proverbs of the Chinese without realizing
that q homo life exists in that fiowery
kingdom which rivals that of many more
Civilized countries. No Solomon, no de-
scendant of Abraham, could eclipse the
trade proverbs Of the Chinese. They
t0uch on trade with a keenness and thor
oughness which proves them to be mas
ters In that school. Tho baser life of the
aottentot, the loose morals of the fellah,
the independent spirit Of the Brlton, are
al crystallized in their national proverbs.
In England and many other countries it
was formerly very usual for n tradesman
to select some proverb as his motto, and
mus post his principles plainly over his
mop door. 1t remained, however, for an
american house to appropriate the pro
verDs or the world en- masse, and use them
Tor their own advancement. New Workers
who ride on the elevated roads, or people
who in less favored localities still jog
along in the slow street cars, are familiar
VITA the blue and white proverbs which
proclaim the merits of Sapolio to the
world. Every omnibus in London and al
most every tram car" in England is sim
ilarly adorned.
They made their first appearance on the
Broadway omnibuses, were gathered out
Of over 1900 pages of the worlds collec-
tons, and twisted to suit the case. Many
Of them are beyond easy recognition in
their new dress, many are entirely orig
tnsl, but these are also printed between in
verted commas, which lends a glamour of
antiquity to them. To-day we are told
that over 10000 of these blue cards are
displayed In public conveyances carrying
over 100000 passengers daily.
Condensed thought generally requires
padding to make it ineligible TO the
masses, Just as the stomach of the horse
must be distended with hay to make the