The Irish standard., 1905-01-21

which poverty puts up with the hard
facts of existence. SIT is hard for an
emptybag to stand upright" is fine
euphemism for the liability of indi-
gence to yield to temptation.
Many humorous saying is current
with respect to the things of everyday
life, of which space permits us to give
only Il few examples "a man with
out dinner is two for SUPPER A hill
/ is fine vineGar;" and II don't think
much OF buttermilk when I've had my
full of it," are three lively proverbs
| anent the demands of the inner man;
while Pudding fun is great sport eN-
presses the postprandial facility of en-
joyment. The ''small drop" has it's
own choice collection of sayings, as
might be expected: MANY would be
drunk, but loath to pay" The toper's
cure-drink again." Here is Il fine
motto for temperance society: He
that drinks only water will never be
drunk" and slashing cut at 1.-THE
trade in general;" "Whisky is right
in it's place. and hell's the place for
| it," The inorlinate love of talking
and tlattery is condemned in MANY
a mans tongue broke his nOse;"
Fine words won't feed the friars;"
''That's great softening on the butter
milll"-not. however, that the word of
praise should be withheld where de-
served, for "a good word never broke
Il tooth vet We must not Judge by
appearances, for. "'Tisn't the big men
reap the harvest" nor beauty that
Makes the pot boil" and it is wiser
to put up With defects than do with
out-"Retter be bald than have no
head at all" and Come again, old
breeches, when 1 thought I'd done
with you." Don't be quarrelsome-'A
! grip is better than blow" "Don't
show your teeth till you can bite:"
"Tle day of the fight is when the
blows go astray" @nd hurt the inno-
cent?: and when hard words come.
It's music to he dumb
| We will finish this paper with few
| of the aphorisms that deal with the
| life of man in the present and future
The span of human existence as 800
years growing. 20 blowing, 20 going.
and 90 neither in nor out of it," and
| the "Beginning and end of man-to
draw near the fire." We are asked
J to practice contentment and put up
with life's trials, and ''If we can't be
easy, to be as easy as we can," for
Patience is the cure of an old CON-
plaint." and as for being tired of life,
we should remember that "It isn't the
same thing to send for death. and to
meet him." and ''Alany a day we shall
be at the back Of the church," and
"What's the world to man when his
wife's Widow?' We should do good
! and Sllun evil, for a life we'll spent is
the thing that matters. Smaller than
a flesh worm is the mother of mis-
chief" and "Come back to me, says
the bad deed" To be honest is bet
ter than to repent, for ''rhere's no use
crying when the funeral is gone;''
"One mass before death is worth
two after.' and "'Tis the poorest of
fun to be slipping to hell" Above all
we should trust in the Almighty Prov.
ilence, whose power is infinite and
mercy boundless, for "No tide but
Gibbs. save the tide of Grace" and
Gods help is nearer than the door, .
and 'He never closed one gap that He
did not open another" With this
homcly illustration of that reliance OF
the Gael on God which underlics and
moultls his philosophy we may fifty
close our paper 1t only remains tc
be added that no study of Irish char
acter can possibly be final which does
not take full account of the Irish mind
as disclosed in these old proverbs, and
as in translation much of their point
and fine shades of meaning are una
| voidably lost a full list Of the originals
| of the sayings quoted may not be un
welcome to the reader.