Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-07-07
PROVERBS THE WORLD OVER.
Forms In Which Many Familiar to Us
Appear in Other Countries.
rom the London Globe.

From the London Globe.
The wit and wisdom Of proverbs are clad
in different garb in different countries, but
they are all very much the same. Identical
ideas arising independently in wtdsly
separated nations are not necessarily ex-
pressed in INTERCHANGEABLE terms. They
usually derive a certain ouafntness from
the manners and cutoms Of the people who
use them
Thus, the old Greek proverb, THE mas
ters eye makes the horse fat has many
different renderings The Haytians express
1t with local colorings, 1.-THE garden far
(from the masters house,. the gumbo
spoils." Again, the familiar idea which we
set forward in the following way, You
can't get blood from stone or from a
beet, or breeks from Highlander" Is rem
dered in West Indies as THE pumpkin
wine does not. yield the calabash." Even in
regard to the matter Of going before the
beak" the East Indian and the West In
dian have parallel expressions, for where
the former says of friend that he was
"pinched, the latter observes that they
pressed his tall
In order to establish the ssterhood Of
proverbs it is only necessary to take q few
world akin and regard them from various
national aspects The classical but homely
truth. Drive out nature with a pitchfo5k,
and she will return" crops out in many q
negro tribe in quaint forms. such as the
following: "A man that keeps the birds
away keeps them away. but pretty face
cannot be kept away" The Idea convened
by HE needs must go whom the devil
drives is universally recognized. Some
tribes put 1t, THE stomach has no ears"
others, THE empty bag cannot stand up
right"
The idea we express in the words only
the wearer knows where the shoe pinches'
Is conveyed quite as aptiy by the Swahili
in his proverb. "Only the dead man knows
where the grave is too narrow" Seafaring
tribes say 'aThe bottom of the ship knows
best how the sea presses" Our familiar
sayings about running after two hares'
and failing between two stools" are again
paralleled and capped by the Zambesi prov
erb, 1.-THE rider OF two horses splits
asunder."
This quaintness of setting forth often
''goes one better on our homely proverbs
Our saying Don't do as do; do as tell
YOU Is good; but the Dutch 1.-The monk
breaches against thieves with the goose in
his larder," or the American when the
lawyer gets the fowl stealer acquitted he Is
paid in fowls" Is better. But the Spanish
parallel is Quaintiest of ALL THE frfar con-
dennis the thief with the pudding up his
sleeve" Where we say III you want a
thing done do 1t yourself the West Indian
gets shade ahead of us with the advice.
Send dog, and the dog viii send his
taii.''
The same advice Is given In still bet
ter form by the Armenian who observes,
IT you send messenger on an errand go
with him" And the astute hnbeueving
maker. puts no faith either In the gods or
the messengers Of the gods. for he knows
what they are made d, sums UP the sftua-
i Is weeping you want = thing su. done :.
he says. Ego youfself; II not, send.
There Ii probably no better proverb in
the Engiish Language than stu waters run
deep" No other nation goes one better
than this though MANY coma raar n srhn