New-York tribune., 1911-03-19
WISDOM Of ANC|ENTS
SHOWN IN Proverbs
,hs 1ribune's Contest Brings
NJ o,,t Interesting Study OF Say
inns of Great Men Of Past.
MANY SEEK FINE PRIZES
:. ,.n't Too Late to Join the
rbrong of Readers Who Are
Solving the Pictures
Printed Every Day.

i,ro,y Won who are trying To
,,c sixtv-thrce proverbs i'm Ihe
'.,rcs proycrh contest. that YOU are
' INTO ;he wisdom Of the world? DO
"e.u,o that hundreds Of years before
y" ,r,.is,iau cra the wise men of those
srst evolved some of the great say
90 that have been handed down iro"
ra,ion to generation. and winch are
' r,coeuized as the very basis upon
.h this world to-day is founded?
VIZ .n ,h,s &c true. and it would surprise
% lcarn of the great grasp that these
,,r,s had on all matters pertaining 10
IN, nature How far-seeing was their
.nledce can be seen when 1t Is known
tho savings Of these wise men. ut
u ', hundreds of years before the birth of
e' ., ore in this. modern world of ours.
.s nertincnt to-day as they were when
...v first saw hte light.
r.,,h waldo Emerson. the philosopher
-, r,odern times. appreciated this fact. lie
.a,e. proverbs. like the sacred books
.och nation, are the sanctuary OF the
/ r,u,ions.'
Sri,rlrg back over the sands of Time
-, some Two thousands Of years, VIC hear
~. voice of Sophoclcs. who lived in the
s,,A century T.. C.. saying: "A short say
49, Al, contains much wisdom" He. too.
s,sw the importance Of proverbs in the eN-
,.,.,ce of the world. II was this same
,hnosopher who originated that gem of
.,sdom. Fortune is not on the side of the
smt-hearted.
ru,,nides contemporary of Sophocles,
40 eynresslcn first 10 that saying:
nr,srv man l. like the company he Is
an, 70 keen" How true that is to-day
=, men whom we know. And II always
ain le so. To the end of time.
cicero knew whereof he spoke when he
,.n in one of his orations. "He is never
lsss al leisure than when at leisure. we
al know how much of truth there is in
n., saving. those of us who have tried
,s-fect idleness for any extended time.
To GO through the list of all the makers
of proverbs would require more space in
be columns of The Tribune than could pos
ablv be utilized. but the instances quoted
above are sufficient TO show that the very
foundation of reason. the principles on
which the world to-day is run. all oma-
mated from the brains If the ancients.
other men. in later times. have twisted and
distorted the sayings of those who went
before them. but the wisd om is still there.
and so it will always remain.
knowing these things. won't II he a
rreater incentive for those who are sharp
sning their wits over The Tribune's prov
,rbs 10 realize that the very proverbs
GpL o1 int no nicf
sres we're first uttered by men who lived
thousands Of years before them? II should
spur you on and make you think the
harder. Referring for the last time TO
The ancients. il was Epictctus. who lived
| in the early years OF Christianity. who
| aid, Difficulties are things that show
What men are"
Therefore. when you tackle to-day's pict
u,e proverb bear in mind what Epictetus
said, and show what manner Of man you
are The proverb is equally applicable TO
shildren and women.
Those who have solved Ill the proverbs
hat have appeared in The Tribune so far.
acluding to-day's, are Just one-third
through their task. They are almost in
sight OF the goal. Those who have not
JET started can be on tho same footing
within short time by simply buying the
tack numbers OF The Tribune and clean
ng them up These back numbers can be
oolained at the Office of The Tribune. and
there only. They can be had for l cent
copy for the daily and cents for the
Sunday issue. They will also be sent by
nail. as will the proverb book II SO de-
sTed The proverb book costs 25 cents at
The Office, and 20 cents by mail.