The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-03-02
PROVERBS OF THE JApANEse.

DDS OF the most advanced Western civ
ilizstion- Il IS nothing E not strictly
modern and up-to-date. And yet moth
ing VIII so surely touch the Japanese
heart as the unexpected quotation OF one
OF those old national proverbs which were
| current coin n the land before the peo-
! pies OF modern Europe had emerged from
| their original barbarisu,s-
/ These old sayings are perpetualiy IN the
months of ali classes, from the professor
IN his lecture room to the child in the
nursery. a judicious teacher. lsv the time
y use Of one Of these winged arrows. win
often arouse the languid and Raging at
/ ten1ion OF class whom he may perhaps
| De instructlng IN comparative anatomy or
/ the higher mathematics And q pretty
game, in which the same old proverbs are
used, is one OF the fayorite amusements OF
the japanese children. Miss Isabella Bird
/ describes il (uot quite CORRECTLY. by tne
/ by in her interesting book about untrod-
den Japan II IS played with a pack Of
cards, composed OF pairs. one card having
a proverb inscribed or il. and its fellow
card pictorial representation of that
! prOverb. After the cards have been shut
/ fed and dealt. the proverbs are read out
I IN turn, and whoever believes himself 10
! have the corresponding picture calls out.
/ II right be gets rid Of his card The one
who first gets rid OF all his cards wins the
game. and the holder OF the last card loses
{ IT. They play this game with wonderful
I animation and rapidity. and with what
I Miss Bird calls the most amusing court
esy.t
/ one would perhaps expect - find the
proverbial philosophy Of an isolated peo-
/ pie in the far east Enthusiastically DIFF
ferent from that which has sprung up
t among ourselves. Bat. as a matter Of fact.
/ its frequent similarity, in thought and
/ phrase, is peculiarly striking. Roses have
/ thorns, w ais have ears. and many an
other proverb which might be quoted are
Z both good English ard good japanese.
There is. in many cases. Of course. a play
upon words. or an ALTERATION in the orig
inal japanese, which cannot wen be rem
| dered into English. and the loss OF which
frequently deprives the trapslated proverb
in all of its original SAVIOR. But the force
OF our adage. More haste. less speed" is
quite apparent Ia their If u i hurry. 80
round or Accidents VIII happen IL the
best regulated families " IN their Even a
monkey sometimes falls from a tree" or
old bucolic proverb which Lord Chester
field found SO offensive, about the man
who kissed the COW. in their Even the
worm that eats srlart-weed TO his taste
The japanese choice OF metaphor for ex-
pressing an identical thought is. of course.
often strikingiy 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 viii become moth
ing but frogs. When We say Those who
play with edged tools must expect to
cut thar fingers, the Jap says IF you
Keep tigers YOU are likely to nave some
trouble And our observation that THE
scalded dog fears cold water" is most
JnpatriotiCaIy rendered by The beaten
soldier fears even the tops Of the tan
grass
The idea OF our "AIl lay the load on the
willing horse" appears somewhat Osccure-
" in the Jap. Those who know the rones
do most of the hauling" our ION and
water won't mix is by them very ODDLY
expressed In You can't rivet q nail IN
potato custaTd and in place OF our sa--
castle reference TO what happens 10 the
fool, they simply say, "A wise man keeps
10 his money" But the advantage is
by no means Invariably on the European
side Famous swords are made OF iron
scrapines IS certainly more picturesque
sewing thar our "Despise not the dRy
Of small things our commonplace "Out
of evil good may come" finds with the7r
a hne poetical expression in THE lotus
springs from the mud and in point OF
poigna1cy our Adding insult 70 injury
IS vastly inferior 20 their salt on a
sore"
Love and marriage. Of course, have be-
gotten numerous proverbs among the Jap
anese. as in other nations OF the world.
but their experience fn the matter does
not appear TO have been altogether q
happy one. Love flies with the red
petticost, Is one Of lheir favorits say
ings which becomes Ineligible 20 Us Of
the West VIXEN we learn that the fam
ing garment In question Is only worn by
unmarried girls. But jealousy, apparently
is by no means so readily 10 fy. Trust
q woman saws the jar anese Beneaick.
as long as thy mothers eyes are Upon
her o. A wise wife. We learn from aucth-
er rroverb. seldom crosses her husband
threshold" and friends Of the family re-
ceive a broad hint in Don't stay long
when che husband is not at home Ac-
cording TO one prOvorb a chiIdlcss wife
Is a curse from Che gods" rat this ~
counterbalancedb by another. evidently the
production Of some prehistoric Nautilus
which declares that II is easier 10 beget
children than it is TO care for them"
The excessive reference for old age
which prevails IN China is somewhat mod
fled in japan: fer. although "a good son
makes happy father" and youth is *
pressly adm0uished TO treat every old
man as II he were thv father" IS at the
same time fully recognized tl1at"when old
men grow too Old they must obey their
children.
Judging by the numerous proverbs on
the subject. one would be inclined 70 think
THAI a large number Of persons IN japan
are apt 10 attempt iinposihiiities- Such
persons are described ar Building ridges
to the clouds. or Throwing stones at
the sun" or Dipping up the ocean with
p SHE'LL OF Scattering a fog with . fan.
But perhaps this is the only retaliation
Of she conservatives. WHO stiil remain tn
that revolutionary land for the Sights
cast UPON them by the young and ardent
Radical portion Of tho community. who
talk sueerinFIv Of a Small minded man
looking at the sky through reed N
The Gilatory mn who leaves sharpening
his arrows untl TIE lion Is unon him 30
who have even dubbed their less progress
slve brethren with tire orprobrious fffIe
ri frogs ard assert that the frog
knows nothing ~ THE great ocean
There is "a strong pessluistic strain in
fhe japanese compartment. which fnss
expression - such proverbs as "Aftcr
plea sure comes Erisf. Hearing is p
paradise. h7rt seeing b. he'll. Better narr-
ish dog thar an unfathfui servant. 7
Catch THIEF and md Do Is vgl- own
son 4 very low appreciation 90 me
measures likely 90 Gan % any mans share
in this WORLD IS Indicated in ~ son haze
G man. iet him I've and The TEXTURES
Of he'll are graduated ACCORDING 20 ira
1rr 1rrr of money De- haa holds ouf -
every encouraging prospect ~ q world /
O. come
Tie Japa1cse have some really IRE /
sarfrrs worthy ~ u1frers1f lerertsrrr. &
s-ch ~ "T7liua avn heart usskes tfe !
world" ~ -The 0cft ~ hrue sees fha 4
entire universe. ~ ere trreae ~ the +