The Valentine Democrat. [volume] (Valentine, Cherry Co., Neb.) 1896-1898, 1897-05-20
tRlSP FORMS OF THOUGHT.
SOLOMON AND TUPPER TWISTED
TO SUIT a MODERN TRADE

The 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 in his
later compendium, is and ever will be an
open question. Solomon's copyright ran
out long before Tupper's time, and both
are now poached upon with impunity by
all classes, from authors to advertisers.
But, taken by themselves, proverbs well
repay careful study. Students OF ethnol-
ogy find in the proverbs of the dlferent
races the ~clearest proofs of their real char-
acteristics, for they are the shrewdest ana
yet most intimate expressions OF their
daily life.
Judged by the comparison of these
homely sayings, it will be found that all
nations are of one kindred, possessing
common needs, common aspirations, and
seeking similar reliefs from toll and Ia
Dor. On the dustiest shelves of our Ii
braries may be found collections of all
the proverbs of the different nations,
quite a large proportion of the work haV-
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 hlts
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, Chin
csc, and Hottentot Solomons does excite
curiosity. The missionaries have found
it a pleasant as well as a profitable task.
It deIves 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.
It is impossible to read the well-col-
lated proverbs of the Chinese without
realizing that a home life exists in that
many more civilized countries. No Solo
mon, no descendant of Abraham, could
eclipse the trade proverbs of the Chinese.
They touch on trade with a keenness and
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 proyerb as his motto,
and thus post his principles plainly over
his shop door. 1t remained, however, for
an American house to appropriate the
proverbs of the world en- masse and use
them for their W 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 with the blue and white proverbs
which proclaim the merits of Sapolio to
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 1000 pages of the worlds collec-
tons, and twisted to suit the case. Many
are beyond easy recognition in their
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 that
over 10000 of these blue cards are dis
played in public c~onveyances 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
oats digest readily; but with proverbs it
is quite otherwise. Their popularity is
only reached because they have passed
muster as being clear to every mind. They
tell their story with a directness and brew
ity which pleases the public, as the die
tionary did the old Scotch woman-"They
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 patient
and you will have patient children" with
out an innate respect for the advice which
follows, not to fret over house cleaning,
but do it easily with Sapolio? And who
can repress a smile when the Sapolionic
artist pictures the patient father and the
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