Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1897-05-22
CRISP FORMS OF THOUGHT.
SOLOMON AND UPPER TWISTED
TO SUIT A MODERN TRADE.

rhe Wisdom of the sages and the Wit
of the Masses, Even the Work of the
Missionaries, Are Grist in the Mill
They Are Poached Upon by Authors
and Advertisers
Whether Solomon invented all his prov
cribs, or gathered them from many
sources with a nicer sense OF permanent
worth than Mr.. Upper exercised III MS
later compendium, is and ever VIII DE III
open question. SoloInon's copyright ran
out long before Tupper's time, ana poth
are now poached upon with impuhl!! =!
all classes, from authors to advertisers;
But. taken by themselves. proverbs VIZ
repay careful study. students OF ethhol
ogy find in the proverbs OF the d'neIen'
races the ~clearest proofs OF their rear e""t
acteristics, for they are the "nu
vet most intimate expressions ol theii
daily life.
Judged by tine comparison OF these
homely sayings, IL will be found that al
nations are Of one kindred, possessing
common needs, common ASPIRATIONS anu
seeking similar reliefs from toll ahu iu-
Dor. On the busiest shelves or our IL
braries may be found collections OF AL
the proverbs Of the different nations,
quite a large proportion Of the WORK nav
ing resulted from the interest which mis-
sionaries have taken In their earnest
studies Of the uncivilized peoples whom
they seek to instruct. That the shrewd
sayings of the Scotch or the bright mus
Of the Irish should be carefully collected
gives little cause for surprise; but a col
lection of Abyssinian proverbs, OF those
Of the Tamil language, of lcelandlc lore,
of the Sanscrit. South Sea Islands, Chln-
csc, and Hottentot Solomons does excite
curiosity. The missionaries have found
IL "A pleasant as well as a profitable task.
1t delves deep into the idioms of the Ian
guage, tells with unerring accuracy the
mental tendency Of the people, and by IN
Producing the foreigner into the inner
thought of both home and trade shows
him the real life of those who adopt them
as everyday expressions.
II is impossible to read the well-col-
lated proverbs of the Chinese without
realizing that a home life exists in that
fowery kingdom which rivals that OF
many more civilized countries. No Solo
mon, no descendant of Abraham, could
eclipse the trade proverbs Of the Chinese.
iAN AOuNh OA ldht WIN u
thoroughness which proves them TO be
masters in that school. The baser life of
the Hottentot, the loose morals of the fell
lab, the Independent spirit of the Briton,
are all crystallized in their national prov
cribs.
In England and many other countries
it was formerly very usual for a trades
man to select some proverb as his motto,
- H. --. Il ..Faa..l.a Il ANAI
his shop door. 1t remained, however, for
an American house to appropriate the
proverbs of the world on masse and use
them for their WI advancement. New
Workers who ride on the elevated roads,
or people who ia less favored localities
still jog along in the slow street cars, are
familiar with the blue and white proverbs
which proclaim the merits of Sapolio 10
the world. Every omnibus in London and
almost every tram car in England is
similarly adorned.
They made their first appearance on the
Broadway omnibuses, were gathered out
of over 1900 pages Of the worlds collec'
tions, and twisted to suit tle case. Many
are beyond easy recognition in theiI
new dress, many are entirely original, but
these are also printed between inverted
commas, which lend a glamour of anti
guilty to them. To-day we are told thai
over 10000 of these blue cards are dis
played in public conveyances carrying
over 6,0OO,OOO 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
BATS digest readily; but with proverbs il
is quite otherwise. Their popularity il
only reached because they have passed
muster as being clear to every mind. They
tell their story with a directness and brey
ity which pleases the public, as the die
tionary did the old Scotch woman-"TheS
air Draw stories" she said, but unco
short" Turned TO tell the practical story
of Sapolio, they often acquire new inter
est. Who reads the advice, BE patien
and you will nave patient children" with
out an innate respect for the advice which
follows, not 10 fret over house cleaning
but do it easily with Sapolio? And VIII,
can repress a smile when the Sapolioni
artist pictures the patient father and tn,