Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1910-08-05
Concerning Fools. Hearts and Women.

'iy, iaiSc pOrtlOHS OI luc
Hebrew text of Ecclesiasticus,
which is included in our modern
Apocrypha. have been discovered.
ana some piquant renderings of the
book S brighter side have been given
by DIR. Oesterly, of England. The
book was written two hundred wears
before Christ by the son of Sira,
Jerusalem Jew, and no more profound
philosopher las lived since. Many
OF the more modern sapient sayings
resemble Sira's ideas very much, but
the philosophy of all ages has much
the same foundation.
GossipS, gluttons, spinsters and
malicious women are among the
characters prominent enough even in
those remote days for the philoso-
piers consideration.
The heart of fools is in their
mouth, but the mouth of the wise is
in their heart" wrote Sira, dividing,
as usual, all humanity into those who
follow wisdom and those who fol-
low foolishness. Erudition, common
sense, and good manners he regarded
merely as different manifestations or
degrees of human wisdom, which, in
its turn, differed only in degree from
divine wisdom.
For example" explains DIR. Oes-
terly, according to Sra, a man is
wise if he devotes his time to learn
ing, but so also is the man who does
not stick his elbow into his neigh
boris ribs at dinner. We should dis
tinguish a man who has studied San
skirt deeply from man who is po-
lite at table. Not SO Sira. With
him it is only a difference of degree.
Perhaps he was right"
On what the lecturer describes as
the delicate and fascinating SUBJ
ject of ladies" the author of Eccle-
siasticus" had a great deal to say.
Though a lover Of the sex he could
not blind himself to the fact that
there are women and women.
% give me any wound but heart
wound and any wickedneSS but a wO-
mans"
II would rather dwell with lion
or a dragon than live with q malici.
Gus woman. The malice of a woman
darkens her appearance and blackens
her face like that of bear"
An malice is but little compared
with woman's malice"
On the othes hand. he exclaimed,
with true poetic fervor, Children
and the building OF city establish a
man S name; but woman's affection is
above both" And, "The gentle
wife is above pearls"
For bachelors Sira had a truly
Eastern contempt. The unmarried
man is "vagabond wandering up
and down" just as in the Talmud he
is described as deficient in human
ity." Spinsters are likewise nuis-
ance. Worry departs from thy
house when thou marriest thy daugh-
ter; but" he adds kindly, give her
to a sensible man."
Sira. according to DR.. Oesterly,
was particularly keen upon wisdom
at the dinner table, and presented
his readers with something like a
complete guide to fashionable man.
ners in Jerusalem.
when thou sittest at the table of
a great man open not thy mouth too
wide. and say not. What a glorious
spread 7 w was the lecturers transla-
ton of one useful maxim.
Stretch not out thy hand whith-
ersoever thine eye gOeth. and thrust
not thyself with it into the dish. !"
was piece Of advice suggesting to
the doctor that There must have
been queer goings on sometimes"
Eat like o man." says the sage
elsewhere. meaning. Eat not like a
pig" And he proceeds, "Be first
to leave of, for manners sake. and
b. not a glutton lest thou be de-
spised. "
Lastly. this is his advice to gos-
isips: Hast thou heard anything ?
Let it die with thee. Be OF good
courage, it will not burst thee"