Daily Kennebec journal., 1902-04-22

less picturesque phrasing of the thought
| is, The spawn of frogs will become moth
| ing but frogs" When we say, Those
who play with edged tools must expect to
keep tigers yoh are likely to have
| trouble" And our observation that '"The
| scalded dog fears cold water" is most un-
patriotically rendered by The beaten
grass The idea of our "All lay the
load on the willing horse appears some
what Qbscurely in the Jap, Those who
| know the ropes do most OF the hauling;''
our .Oil and water won't mix is by
them very oddly expressed in You can't
rivet a nail in a potato custard;' and in
place of our sarcastic reference to what
happens to the fool. they simply say, "A
wise man keeps to his money Our COM
monplace out of evil good may come
finds with them a fine poetical expression
in The lotus springs from the mud"
Love and marriage, of course have be-
gotten numerous proverbs among the
Japanese, as in every other nation of the
world but their experience in the mat
ter ter do, does not appear to have t,,t been alto
sayings. which becomes intelligible to us
of the West when We learn that the fam
ing garment in question is worn only by
unmarried girls. But jealousy. appar-
emily, is by no means so ready to fly.
Trust woman" says the japanese
Benedick, ''as long as thy mothers eyes
are upon her." "A wise wife," we learn
from another proverb. seldom crosses
her husbands Threshold and friends of
the family receive broad hint in Don
stay long when the husband is not ct
home
The excessive reverence for old age
which prevails in China is somewhat
modified in Japan; for, although "a good
son makes a happy father" and youth
is expressly admOnshed to treat every
old man as if he were thy father it is
at the same time fully recognized that
when old men grow too old they must
obey their children"
Judging by the numerous proverbs OF:
the subject, one would be inclined to
think that large number of persons in
Japan are apt to attempt impossibilities.
bridges to the clouds" or Throwing
stones at the sun or Dipping up the
ocean with a SHELF or Scattering fog
with fam
the Japanese temperament, which finds
expression in such proverbs as After
pleasure comes grief" Hearing is par
adise. but seeing is hell" Better nourish
Catch a thief and find he is your own
son." a very low appreciation of the
pleasures likely to fall to any mans
share in this world is indicated in, If
you hate Il man, let him live" and THE
tortures of hell are graduated according
to the amount of money one has holds
out no very encoura gingf prospect of
world to come.
The Japanese have some really fine say
ings, worthy of universal acceptance.
such as Thine own heart makes the
world" or THE poet at home sees the
entire universe" or THE throne of the
gods is on the brows of righteous man."
But the majority of their proverbs can
only be described as peculiar. Their nice
observance of manners is evidenced by
sayings such as Excess of politeness
become impoliteness;" their national sus-
piciousness in the like of Don't trust Il
pigeon to carry grain; and the handy
mans adherence or a bungler finds eX-
preston in numerous quips such as
Learning to swim in field" or
Scratching the foot with the shoe on