The daily morning journal and courier., 1904-06-16
USE OF THE PROVERBS.
Advantages That Are Witty and Other wise-Celebrated Writers Words.

Many proverbs have come down to us from remote ages and are common to all nations. It is said that a king of Samos worked his slaves nearly to 1 death in making a vineyard; this pro- voked one of them to prophecy that his master would never drink of the wine. The king. being told of this, when the | first grapes were produced took a hand ful. and, pressing the juice into cup in the presence of the slave, derided 1 him as false prophet. Many things happen between the cup and the lip, lthe slave replied. Just then a shout was raised that wild boar had broken into the vineyard. The king, without tasting, set down the cup, ran to meet 1 it, and was killed in the encounter. Heneeforth the words of the slave passed into proverb. From this Greek original came two French proverbs. Between the hand and the mouth the sup is often split" and 'Wine poured out is not swallowed" Neither is so near the original as our English. 1 There's many slip 'twixt cup and | I ideas have taken root in different lan- tguages and the various modes of illus trating the same thought. To take. for instance, one or two familiar proverbs | in our own language. We say; "A bird in the hand is wort htWo in the bush. The same idea is expressed by Italians when they say. Better an egg-to-day than bullet tomorrow" and the French proverb is still more significant. "One here-it-is is better lthan two you-shall-have-its." Better a leveret in the kitchen than wild boar in the forest'' is the Livonian say ing conveying the same meaning. Ali- other well known proverb is. Where there's a will there's a way" which signifies that if man has but the re- lsolution he will make use of such means as come to hand to attain his object. The French counterpart of this says: He that has a good head does not want for hats"
 | The proverbs on luck are expressive in all languages. In English we say. Tt is better to be born lucky than rich.'' The Arabs convey the same Iidea in the apt proverb, Throw him Unto the Nile and he will come up with a fish in his mouth,'' while the Ger mans say, If he flung penny on the roof dollar would come back to him." A Spanish proverb says: God send you luck, my son, and little will serve ycr.' There is Latin adage. For tune favors fools," and it is to this all ludes in his reply to Jacques. "Call me mot fool till heaven hath sent me fort Iune.' The Germans say Jack gets on by his stupidity,s and Fortune and women are fond of fools;;" there is also | a Latin proverb which shows that the tconverse of this. holds good. Fortune makes fool of him whom she too much favor
 There is no doubt that much of what lis called success in life depends upon keeping there. Some unucky English lman is responsible for the saying. If lmy father had made me a natter, men twould have been born without heads" but this can scarcely be called original, las an unfortunate Arab, ages ago de- lclared "If I were to trade in winding sheets no one would die" It is to men Eof this stamp the French apply proverb. I"Falls on his back and breaks his Inose;;" the Italians. He would break This neck over straw" nMisfortunes seldom come singly" has many equival- Tents in all languages. The Spainards lsay. Welcome, misfortune, if thou Ieomest alone" and Whither goest thou, misfortune? To where there is more?" IThe Italians have numerous proverbs lin the same strain: "One i'll calls an- Iother" "A misfortune and friar are lseldon1 alone" The same applies also Ito good fortune. Tt never rains, but lit pours,' or, as the Arabs say If the lwind blows it enters at every crevice." {" l"He is down, down with him. has it's lcounterpart in all countries. He that falls all the world runs over" is the Herman mode of saying it, and the Portuguese proverb runs All bite the bitten dog" while the French equival- lent is. When dog is drowning every Ibody brings him drink"
 But there is a Spanish proverb we Ishall do well to remember; they say of la tedious writer. He leaves no ink in This inkpot.' It is impossible in an larticle of his length to more than touch the fringe of this wide subject. Refer Iring as they do to almost every range lof human concern, and necessarily as- Isociated with the literature of every Iperiod, proverbs have helped to preserve lthe memory of events and ideas which EThe student will find they are abun- Idantly capable of yielding most inter- testing information.-Lon Globe.