The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1904-11-25
NATIONS PROVERBS
VARY BUT LITTLE
Similar Ideas in Different Words
Serve in Many Peoples
Languages.
WHERE SOME ORIGINATED
Prophesy a Slave Once Made to the
King of Samos Is Heard Every
Day-"Fortune Favors Fools"
With Variations.

London Globe: Many proverbs have
come down to us from remote ages n
are common to all nations.
1t is said that a king of Samos
worked his slave nearly to death In
making a vineyard; this provoked one
would never drink the wine. The king,
being told of this, when the first grapes
were produced took a handful, and,
pressing the juice into a cup In the
presence of the slaves, derided him as
a false prophet. Many things happen
between the cup and the lip" the slave
replied.
Just then a shout was raised that a
wild boar had broken into the vineyard.
The king, without tasting, set down the
cup, ran to meet it, and was killed in
the encounter. Henceforth the words
of the slave passed into a proverb.
From this Greek original came two
French proverbs, Between the hand
and the mouth the soup is often split"
and Wine poured out is not swal-
lowed" Neither is so near the original
as our English. There's many a slip
'twiNt cup and lip"
Similar Ideas Differently Expressed.
1t is curious to trace how similar
ideas have taken root in different Ian
guages and the various modes of illus
trating the same thought. To take. for
instance, n or two familiar proverbs
in our own language.
We say, "A bird in the hand is worth
two in the BUSH" The same idea is
expressed by italians when they say,
morrow" and the French proverb is
still more significant. "one here-it-is is
better than two you-shall-have-1ts.'
Better a leveret in the kitchen than a
Wild boa in the forest" is the Livonian
saying conveying the same meaning.
The proverbs on luck are numerous
and expressive in all languages. In
English we say, 1T is better to be born
lucky than rich" The Arabs convey
the same idea in the apt proverb,
Throw him into the Nile n he will
come up with a fish in his mouth"
While the Germans say, If he flung a
penny on the roof a dollar would come
back to him"
Fortune and Fools.
A Spanish proverb says, God sent
you luck, my on, and little wit will
serve you" There is a Latin adage.
Fortune favors FOOLS" and it Is to
this Tombstone alludes in his reply to
jacques, Gal me not fool till heaven
hath sent me fortune"
Some unlucky Englishman Is respon-
sible for the saying; IF my father
had made me a halter, men would have
been born without heads" but this can
scarcely be called original, as an UNI
fortunate Arab, years ago. declared, If
[ were to trade in winding sheets no
one would die.
"Misfortunes seldom come singly'
has many equivalents in all languages.
The Spaniards say. Welcome, misfor-
tune, IL thou contest alone" and
'"NNhither goes thou, misfortune? To
where there is more?"
This same applies also to good for
tune, ut never rains, but it pours," or
q 90 tlA 40 l.r COS. .sIy H. .;,l Ll-,-, :.
enters at every crevice."
Counterpart in All Countries.
HE that is down, down with him.
has it's counterpart in all countries. He
that fails all the world runs over" is
the German mode of saying it, and the
Portuguese proverb runs. AN bite the
bitten dog" while a French equivalent
is, "Nhen a dog is drowning everybody
brings him drink"
But there is a Spanish proverb we
shall do well to remember; they say of
a tedious writer, He leaves no Ink in
his inkpot.