The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1905-01-13
USE OF THE PROVERBS.

Us llou IeuOLe ages ana are common
to all nations. It is said that a king
OF Samos worked his slaves nearly to
death in making vineyard; this pro-
voked one of them to prophesy that
his master would never drink of the
wine. The king, being told of this.
when the first grapes were produced,
took a handful, and, pressing the
juice into cup in the presence of the
slave, derided him as false prophet.
MANY things happen between the
cup and the lip," the slave replied.
just then shout was raised that a
Wild boar had broken into the Vine
yard. The king, without tasteing,
set down the cup, ran to meet it, and
was killed in the encounter. Hence
forth the words of the slave passed
into proverb. From this Greek
original came two French proverbs:
"Between the hand and the mouth the
soup is often spilt," and "Wine pour
ed out is not swallowed" Neither
is so near the original as our English,
There's many slip 'twixt cup and
lip" 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, one or two familiar pro-
verbs in our own language. We say,
"a bird in the hand is worth two in
the BUSH" The same idea is express
ed by Italians when they say, "Better
an egg today than pullet tomorrow"
and the French proverb is still more
significant, zone here-it-is is better
than two you-shall-have-its." "Better
a leveret in the kitchen than a wild
boar in the Forest" is the Livonian
saying conveying the same meaning.
Another well-known proverb is
"Where there's will there's q way
which signifies that if a man has but
the resolution he will make use of
such means as come to hand and at
tain his object. The French counter
part of this says, "He that has good
head does not want for hats"
The provei bs on luck are numerous
and expressive in all languages. In
English we say, "It is better to. be
born lucky than rich" The Arabs
convey the same idea in the apt pro-
verb, "Throw him into the Nile and
he will come up with a fish in his
while the Germans say, "If
he flung penny on The roof a. dollar
would come back to him." A Span
ish proverb says, "God send you luck,
my son, and light wit will serve you."
There lisa Latin adage, "Fortune fav-
ors fools" and it is to this Touchstone
alludes in his reply to Jacques, "Call
me not a fool till heaven hath sent me
fortune" The Germans say, "Jack
gets on by stupidity" and "Fortune
and women are fond of fools.''
There is no doubt that much of
what is called success in life depends
upon "gettins well into the groove
and keeping there" Some unlucky
Englishman is responsible for the say.
ing, "lf my father had made me hat
ter, men would have been born with
out heads" but this can scarcely be
called original, as an unfortunate Arab
ages ago, declared, "If were to trade
in winding sheets no one would die"
1t is to men Of this stamp the French
apply the proverb, "Falls on his back
and breaks his nose;" the Italians,
''He would break his neck over
straw" ''Misfortunes seldom come
singly" has many equivalents in all
languages. Tue Spaniards say, "W el-
come misfortune, if thou comest
alone" and "Whither goest thou, mis-.
fortune? To where there is no more?"
The Italians have numerous proverbs
in the same strain; zone i'll calls
another,""A misfortune and a friar
are seldom alone" The same applies
to good fortune, "It never rains but
it pours," or, as the Arabs say, "if the
wind blows it enters At every crevice."
"He that is down, down with him."
has its counterpart in all countries.
He that falls all the world runs over"
is the German mode Of saying it, and
the Portuguese proverb runs, GAIL
bite the bitten dog" while the French
equivalent is, "When a dog is drown
ing everybody brings him a drink"
But there is Spanish proverb we
shall do we'll to remember; they say
of tedious writer, "He leaves no ink
in the inkpot." 1t is impossible in an
article of this length to more than
touch the fringe Of this wild, subject.
Referring as they do to aim >st every
range of human concern an necessar-
lily associated with the literature of
,yorv norioH proyorhs hoyx, i,,l,>oJ r.,