The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-05-20
WISE AND WITTY EPIaRAMs.
VcrnacuIar of the BaclswoOds Now
In General Use.
(From the pi,t.burg Dispatch.

.sHsa..t (From the PIttspufg Dspatch.)
The pioneers of a country, though often
unpublished in manners. are seldom wanting
in the virtues becoming the situation in
which they are placed; and these, like
themselves, though commonly rugged,
are yet manly and show as rule
practical common sense and good
ness CT heart. Conscious Of the dependence
which they have on each other. they arc
always ready to oblige a neighbor by as
sisting him or showing him hospitality. 1t
is only when the population increases and
people begin to feel their own self-suf-
ficiency that these virtues begin to disap-
pear and the great ~ becomes the all
important centre of thought and action.
But, along with their rustic virtues. these
backwoods people had their witty and their
wise sayings. and could give cut when
il was thought necessary. And the Ian
guage they made use of was generally more
forcible than elegant and seldom failed to
tell Inasmuch as many of their express
sions are, after long disuse, passing out of
memory, it may be well to recall at least
some of them and explain their meaning.
The following are a few of them:
You are barking up the wrong tree
This alludes to the hunter and his dog
When the latter succeeded in chasing q
raccoon or a squirrel up tree he would
stand barking at the foot of it till his
master came up. But in the mean time
the little animal might have leaped from
branch to branch till it was far away;
and when the hunter. after looking are
fully I'D into the branches, could see
nothing, he would know the cause and.
turning to his dog, would remark: Nero.
you are barking up the wrong tree"
This expression came to be applied to
person who was making a mistake in
matter with which he imagined himself
to be well acquainted: and ii always car
ried with it a measure of sarcasm.
Since the days of Jacob and Laban. il
not from still earlier times. il was looked
upon as a sort Of reproach that younger
daughter should get married before her
elder sister. In the language Of the back
woods this reproach found expression in
the saying. regarding the elder sister and
referring to the dance which invariably
closed the evening of the wedding: "She
will have to dance in the hog trough"
At this dance the bride always regarded
il a compliment II some person occu-
plying higher position in life asked the
privilege of dancing with her. 1t was by
no means unusual for the minister himself
to ask it. This gave rise 10 another ex-
preston when a person wanted a favor
from another. IF you do this I'll dance
at your wedding"
But IT, on the other hand. q girl who
got married failed to secure good hus
band, it would be said: "She drove her
pigs to poor market"
A favorite expression when one person
assisted another in a work he could not
do unaided was: I'm do as much for you
some day." This took a rather iudicrous
turn on a certain occasion up the Allie
gheny River about the beginning of this
century. preacher was called on to
marry a couple, and when the ceremony
was over the man made happy looked at
the preacher with broad smile On his
rustic face and said: 'Thank'ee, sir; I'll
do as much for you some day"
II a person attempted TO do something
that was regarded by others as impossible
he would likely be told: You can't pump
cider out of grindstone."
When the Pennsylvania canal was being
constructed down the Conemaugh and Kis-
kiminetas Rivers from Johnstown 10 Free
port the country was thinly settled and
COWS in consequence were scarce. 1t was
generally impossible for the laborers to ret
milk for their coffee. even with the aid of
the milkman's remedy. which the proxim-
ty of the river afforded. When they
had to dispense with that desirable addi-
ton the expression was coined. drinking
barefooted coffee"
Opposed to drinking barefooted coffee, it
@as a custom of not few keelboat men,
when they tied up for the night, il they
saw COW grazing on the river bank out
OF sight Of the owner. to take handful
OF salt, scatter it on the ground, and
while the cow was licking it to milk her
and go their way without qualms OF con-
science. This was trading salt for milk"
When a person had some work to DO.
but employed another TO do it for him. IL
the other failed. and he were asked why
he did not do 1t himself, he would exon
crate himself by saying, Il mt going to
hire a dog and bark myself
II person borrowed money to engage
in some imprudent speculation. and after
ward found II difficult to meet his obliga-
lions. he would learn the force of another
expression, 1T is hard to pay for dead
horse"