The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1901-01-07
WISE SAYINGS
OF THE JEWS

civilized OF savage, thai does not
possess It's stock Of proverbs IN
which the wisdom Of practical life
Is expressed Naturally. many Of
the sententi0us maxims Of the
various nations must coincide IN meaning.
whatever their mode Of expression. This
Is particularly true Of the saws Of the
nations Of Europe. where community Of
ideas and similarity Of customs have led
TO Identical experiences. Besides, the
constant interchange Of their oral and
written iiteratures has caused a continu-
Gus inhux Of foreign elements into the
native proverbs. 80 that Il Is frequent
y dihheult 10 ascertain the original home
Of this or that aphorism. The dificulty
Is sun greater when the adage is trans
lated BY means Of a hOmely garb and Is
gwen the appearance Of spontaneous
growth.
The Jewish proverbs are subject to the
same laws and. consequently. reflect the
philosophy Of the European nations. more
particularly those among whom they live
or have lived. The average popular NOR
ais Of the Jews, as they betray them
selvec IN these maxlms. are neither bet
ter nor worse than those Of the Ger
mans Russians. Poles and they may as
well be studied from the large collections
OF the German folkiorists as from the
skim lists Of the Jewish writer's on the
subject About the middle OF the century
Dukes made an anthology OF rabbinical
saws perpetuated IN the Jewish writings,
and Tendlau expatiated at greater length
on those current among the Jews Of Ger
many In these writers and IN the seiec-
lions Of more modern times there is.
after the reduction Of the elements com
mon 70 all the other nations. q certain
residuum which is distinctly Jewish-that
is, which Is the outgrowth Of special
characteristics and IN its entirety cannot
easily be reproduced elsewhere
II is that part OF the Jewish aphoristic
wisdCm IN which is reflected the Jews
conception Of religion and relation OF man
70 man. his view on married life and his
treatment Of women and children, his
love Of learning and praise Of work, but
also his practical sense ana admira ton
Of wealth. There are also many adages
which tell Of centuries OF suffering, and
amost the largest single division treats
most especially with the blind alley Of
Jewish poverty. We find here the same
themes which form the stock Ia trade
Of Judeo-German literature, and even as
there pu gent wit peryades the tragedy
Of life and heightens the dismal feeling
superinduced BY the self-abnegation and
depreciation that runs through the
mind Of the humble Jew. II is with this
aspect OF his proverbs. as II manifests IT,
self in the collected saws Of the Russian
and Galician Jew. that we shall try 70 get
acquainted now.
Gods justice is frequently proclaimed.
and mans relations to him are to be
gauged by his actions to his feilowmen.
He who has no shame before men has
no fear before Cod" yet 'God Furnishes
him who he loves" and with patent sar-
casm. which freely mingles with his plous
devotion the Jew exclaims. God viii
help. wish 10 God. God would help untii
God helps In the meantime good win
TO all men Is the surest key 20 heaven,
and Acts Of kindness are dearer In the
eyes Of God than aimsgiving~ Many
precepts enjoin strict honesty, for Bet
ter pain IN the heart than a shame IA
the face" yet recognizing the general du-
plicity q man. we are not TO trust Inn
plicitiy TO appearances. but Treat me like
a rabbit and watch me like a thief.~
Somehow the rabbi does not fare wen
IN public opinion. which credits him with
q greater number Of foibles than Is allot-
ted TO common mortais: "You may be
able 20 stand a rabbits eating and a
horses drinking. but It Is not possible to
tolerate q rabbits drinking and a horses
eating" It is not only the rabbi. but the
Jew in general of whom the lew has no
high opinion. for even Moses could not
get along with the Jews and "a good
Jew prefers to take rather than Rive:'
with a Jew II is good to eat shalet. but
not from the same dish.' and "a Jewish
Evil eye IL worse than Christian maeic.''
IN general. says Jewish Comment. the
Christian is to be preferred for an ordi-
nary purposes OF Iifes Better IN the
hands Of the Gentiies thar In the mouths
of the Jews 1T is best to live among
Christians and die among Jews"
Just as English fairy tales may begin
with the words "Once upon a time there
lived king" so Jewish nursery stories
commence with the sentences .'Once /
upon q time there lived a rabbi and his
wife, hence the proverb says. "A rabbi
without rabbits wife Is but half a
story" This adage expresses the funda-
mental principle Of the marital relations.
'n which the whole Jewish life is based.
indeed, "a house without a housewife Is
: wagon without wheels" and though
marriage does not always lead to happi-
ness. II Is better to be a young widow
han an old maid;' but the Jewish old
maids are rare, for "a Jewish girl Is
lever left" No wonder. then. that with
ne proneness 70 marry again as soon as
ne wife is dead or has been divorced. /
liyorces should be a frequent occurrence.
hough they are BY no means looked upon
With favor; hence. better It's to tear the
'aper tof betrothaO than the parchment
Of marriagel." Yet when man and wife
annot agree, 1T Is better for four to be
appy than for two to be miserable" =" and
hus the loophole for divorces is left wide
pen.
Of m8 wife the Jew has a high opin-
on. for "A wife puts one on his legs
nd pulls one down" and "A wife makes
{ her husband what she WILL" though
e is conscious OF her defects. OF which
alkativeness Is the most detested. Nor
oee NJ relish q rnat~, f1~ r-.-..4...- IL i