Evening star., 1902-03-10
JAPANESE PROVERS
WISE SAYINGS ,1EBhEATE THE
SPEECH OF ALL CLASSES.
A Surprising Lack Of the Characteris
tic Oriental Observation-Disclosures
Of Love and Marriage.


1t is just thirty years since young Japan
abolished at one blow the feudal system,
which had reigned unaltered in the country
for seven centuries, and adopted en- bloc the
institutions and methods Of the most ad-
vanced western civilization. 1t Is nothing
II not strictly modern and up-to-date. And
yet nothing will so surely touch the Japan
ese heart as the unexpected quotation Of
one Of those old national proverbs which
were current coin in the land before the
peoples OF modern Europe had emerged
from their original barbarisms.
These old sayings are perpetually In the
mouths OF all classes, from the professor
in his lecture room to the child in the
nursery. A jud.cious teacher, by the timely
use Of one Of these winged arrows will
often arouse the languid and tagging at
tention Of class whom he may perhaps
be instructing in comparative anatomy or
the higher mathematics And a pretty
game, In which the same old proverbs are
used Is one OF the favorite amusements Of
the Japanese children. Miss Isabella Bird
describes II mot quite correctly, by the
by) In her interesting book about untrod-
den Japan. 1t Is played with a pack Of
cards. composed Of pairs, one card having
a proverb inscribed on It, and its fellow
card a pictorial representation of that
proVerb After the cards have been shut
ned ana dealt the proverbs are read out
IN turn. and whoever believes himself to
II right, he gets rid OF his card. The one
VINO first gets rid Of all his cards wins the
game, and the holder Of the last card loses
IT. iney play this game with wonderful
ANIMATION and rapidity. and with what Miss
Bird calls "the most amusing courtesy"
Proverbial Philosophy.
One would perhaps expect to find the pro-
verbal philosophy Of an isolated people in
the far east Enthusiastically different
from that which has sprung UP among our
selves But, as a matter Of fact, its fire.
quent similarity, in thought and phrase, is
peculiarly pee striking: "Roses have thorns,"
Walls have ears" and many another pro-
verb which might be quoted are both good
English and good Japanese. There Is, in
many cases, OF course, a play upon words,
or an ALTERATION in the original Japanese
which cannot we'll be rendered into En-
glish. and the loss OF which frequently de-
prives the translated preverb Of all Of its
original SAVIOR. But the force Of our adage,
More haste. less speed" is quite apparent
in their III in a hurry go round;" our
Accidents will happen in the best-regulat-
ed families In their Even monkey
sometimes falls from tree" or our bu-
coio proverb. which Lord Chesterfield
found SO offensive. about the man who kiss
ed the cow. in their Even the worm that
eats smart-weed to his taste"
The Japanese choice Of metaphor for ex-
pressing an Identical thought is, Of course.
often strikingly different and perhaps may
be considered as generally inferior to our
own. They do not expect to gather grapes
from thorns or figs from thistles any more
than we do, but their less picturesque
phrasing Of the thought is, "The spawn Of
frogs will become nothing but frogs"
When we say, Those who play with edged
tools must expect to cut their fingers the
Jap says. If you heep-tigers you are likely
to have trouble And our observation
Is most unpatri6ucally rendered by THE
beaten soldier fears even the tops Of the
tall grass"
"Can't Rivet Nail in Custard."
The idea Of our "Alf lay the load on the
willing horse" appears somewhat obscure
ly in the Jap. ''Those who know the ropes
do most Of the hauling" our 'Oil and
water won't mix''sis by them very oddly ex-
pressed in You cant rivet nail in po-
tato custard;" and In place Of our sarcastic
reference to what happens to the fool, they
money But the advantage is by no means
invariably on the European side. Famous
swords are made Of iron scrapings'' is GER
tainly more picturesque saying than our
"Despise not the day OF small things"
our commonplace "Out of evil good may
come finds with them fine poetical ex-
preston in THE lotus springs from the
mud and In point Of poignancy our Add
their Rubbing salt on a sore
Love and marriage. OF course. have be-
gotten numerous proverbs among the Jap
anese, as in every other nation Of the
world but their experience In the matter
does not appear to have been altogether a
happy one. Love flies with the red petit
coat" Is one Of their favorite sayings,
which be comes intelligible to us OF the
west when we learn that the flaming gar
ment in question is worn only by unmarried
girls. But jealousy. apparently, is by no
means ready to fly. Trust woman"
says the japanese Benedict. "as long as
thy mothers eyes are upon her" "A wise
wife" we learn from another proyerb. "sel-
dom crosses her husbands thresholds and
friends Of the family receive a broad hint
in Don't stay long when the husband Ia
not at home" According to one proverb.
"A childless wife is a curse from the gods
but this is counterbalanced by another. evil
IDENTITY the production of some prehistoric
Nautilus, which declares that TT is easier
to beget children than TO care for them"