The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1898-07-06
cused Spain Of being overload of the

verb when II seems TO apply in tire con-
versatlon; the Spaniard suits the ronVeT-
sation to the proverb: and IL really seems
to be a matter OF pride TO see how many
ne can use In a given time.
TIE Spanish gentleman hands you
cigar and says; You smoke, OF course,
He who smokes makes his own cloud
and need not care how the skv is
Then. in order 10 get in another wise
remark he proceeds: Let us 90 out
into the open air. Fresh air never hurts
anyone. IL is the draught that kills \
draught is like a bull: you shc1ld never
get in its way"
Then perhaps he calls your attention
TO an addressed but chee-ful-looking
peasant In the street. remarking In an
off-hand manner as II he could say such
things at any time: There's many
good drinker hidden under "A ragged
cloak" And so on through a long con-
versation. which would be maddening TO
an American but which the S0aniard
thoroughly enjoys.
IL is interesting 60 note the English
equivalents for Spanish proverbs. When
we would say, HE isn't worth his salt
they say "He Is not worth his ears full
o. water''-essentially the ptovefb of
thirsty nation.
We say, You want the earth" Their
equivalent is. THAT Is TO expect the wolf
to lcavs meat at your door"
zone mans meat Is another mans
poison" Is rendered What cured sarcho
made Martha sick" "Out of the frying
pan into the fire" Is with them "Escap-
ing the bull. ne fell into the brook
I'VE have the proverb You can't
make "A silk purse out of a sow's ear
Their way of expressing the same exait-
ed sentiment "a. "A hogs tail never made
a good arrow"
Their way or saying by hook or by
crook Is, 1T must come out OF the
sleeve or the skirt. which Is rather
unique.
When we are III we sometimes anu,;e
- our condition IN the words. LAS sick
as a dog" where the Spaniard says, As
sick as a Jew on Saturday" a provero
made is the days when the Hebrew had
to feign illness 10 avoid the transaction
OF business on his Sabbath.
In spite OF the fact that Spain Is a
good Catholic nation, there are not
wanting in the language proverbs which
contain quips at the expense Of the
monk. One of the best of these is, BE
ware Of an OK before. an ass behind and
a monk on all Sides
The jolly friar gets another rap In the
saying. The sacristans money singing
comes and singing goes"
II was no doubt some Spanish Martin
Luther in embryo who said years ago,
The devil gets up to the belfry by the
Wears skirts and the proverb is still
current.
We pray by saints. but not by al OF
them" is another cut, unkind, but err
tirey SAFE. for no names being mention
ed. the attacked party cannot avenge
the insult.
Woman, who Is always being put I'm
proverbs. gets the benefit of the haugh
" dons scOrnful wit. Indeed. some one
has estimated that one-fourth Of the
continental proverbs relate TO the sor-
rows OF the matrimonial state or 10 the
lack of veracity and consistency In wo-
man.
salt from the sea and ills from
woman" say the Italians. The Span
iards render IL. Beware of a bad wo-
man. and do not trust a good one
Another ungallant proverb with the
Spaniards is. Three daughters and
mother are four devils for a father"
and another equally bad is For whom
does the blind mans wife paint her.
sef?"
As the Yorkshire man is to the Eng
lish and the Yankee 90 the American. so
IS the Biscayan to the Spanard, and
many proverbs have had their origin
in stories of the way in which the sim
pie countryman outwits the more cult
waited man from town.
Castilians are proverbially proud and
supcrciliOus, and the tale runs that two
of them We're once dining with simple
Biscayan with whom they were having
a great deal Of fun. One OF the naughty
ones said: 81 cannot eat the part OF the
fish next the tail" and the other: II
cannot endure the portion next the
head" Then they winked at one an
other-if a Spanlard ever 1oes wink
and hattered themselves that they would
get the middle Of the fish 10 divide be-
tween them But the couutryman cut
the fish. giving the seAl t. the tall
hater and the tail 10 tho head-hater.
Then he took the remainder himself, re-
marking. with a grin-no. / mean sar-
donic smile: and the silly Biscayan
gets the middle favorite saying. un-
derstod by everyone, for the story IS an
old one.
There is another proverb which began
I'm a story. once upon time there was
n shepherd and there was a shepherdess.
They kept their hocks. on the grassy
hill-tops which surrounded the town OF
Anchuelos. The shepherd and the
shepherdess fell i'm love with one an
other. natural enough occurrence In
sunny Spain. He could not leave his
flocks. nor could she hers. but they
let. and each called on the other to keep
the tender secret which for days they
had been screaming within the hearing
of the villagers. So now I'm Spain. in
stead OF THAT f. everybody's secret,
they say THAT is Anchuelos' secret"
A nober sentiment than those quoted
before Is: "The cap and the helmet
make houses strong" that IS. Learn
ing and courage are the foundations OF
character"
And Il was doubtless some one who
had found out the worth Of fair weather
friends who gave vent to his feelings In
the wo1s: Let the clown daub him
self with honey and he will never want
flies"
Lord Chesterfield said. long ago. that
man OF fashion would never descend
10 the use OF proverbs and vulgar aphor-
isms, and when Cervantes makes Don
Quixote say: Look you. Sancho. / do
not say that a proverb is amss VIXEN
properly applied; but 10 accumulate ard
string them at random renders a dis
course fat and unprohtabe'
In spite OF these warnings against the
alluring maxim. our Spanish friends will
doubtless 20 on using II in conversation
TIL time shall he no more. and indeed.
they may lind additional material IN
certain events even now transpiring.
Perhaps IN future years a state OF eX-
IRENE happiness will be described by the
smile. AS joyful as our marine minister
when he received war news; or. when
two noble gentlemen have a little diffi-
Guilty one may say: IN do you ms we
did Dewey"-H n. c. in The Chicago
Evening Post