The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-11-01


few specimens of this wisdom of the
jungle folk. The concord with our
popular wisdom may perhaps offer an
interesting field for speculation
What man has. that he is. The
savage in what to us would seem tho
lack Of all things. has learned to draw
the line between wealth and poverty. to
see the advantages OF possession. Here
are few OF the sayings about the rich
and the poor; some praise the one,
others find word for the other:
"A rich man never takes away flor
adopt'on) a poor mans child"
THE poor man gets n friend, the
rich man takes him away"
HE sits down and touches the ety."
"a beggar has no shame"
Getting wealth Ia not easy"
who has none, others do not give
to him"
a poor man talks as II he were not
| we'll"
II is not alone the possession Of prop
erty which sets the ranks in life. there
Is subordination OF youth to age. of
servant TO master. OF child TO parent.
/ These relations appear In these prov
| cribs:
"a servant serves a king. he serves
the king we'll; a servant serves two
kings. he Is true to one"
THE day the owner of a house
breaks n calabash IT'S time Is como; a
child breaks 1t. they fog him"
"A dog does not bark at his master"
Even where wants are few and easily
! supplied man is not released from the
need OF work. thrift has words for in
dolence.
"I.eziness brings spelling and de-
struction."
"The heart Of a lazy man desires and
has nothing"
II is not quite 50 true as dyspeptics
believe that the savage living IN a state
OF nature Is free from aches and pains
in Nigeria there are hundreds OF prov
cribs which have 10 do with disease
"Downcast is king OF illness" This
shows that the ERROR OF mortal mind"
ls not beyond the comprehension OF tho
savage.
"A man does not know how long he
has 10 live"
illness Is stronger than . strong
man, what IL stronger than a man
| conquers him"
"A sick man has no friend"
Death Is better than long sickness"
Death has no medicine"
Death refuses no one"
Death has no pity"
"A corpse feels no shame"
Tho eternal feminine became a ques-
tion on the Niger long before the lady
was put into the limerick; there runs
through all the phrases OF this record
a tone Of cvnicism or dependency.
"a woman who gets two husbands
knows which IL better"
~ useless woman speaks, II is a.
though she makes pepper soup that will
hurt her husband"
zone who cannot bear trouble does
not go TO a woman"
"One seeking husband and one seek
ing wife never meet on the road"
"rt Is not the same thing TO be a lover
and 70 he husband
who has no wife II the poor man Of
his town"
All gnomio wisdom comes out strong
on the general philosophy OF life. So
much happens that the man cannot
, control, so much for which he cannot
recognize his responsibility. that he be-
! comes stoical he accepts all thing. az
they come.
Let him bear Il to whom II happens"
OF 7 had known does not como frs,
but last"
"If a man who is eoing 90 cry loses his
!. eyes what shall he cry w1th?"
DAY not done they don't say II 10 not
good"
. Taking thought is strength"
tales are tho food OF the ear"
"a good humored man has no enemy
1.-The present generation rejoices In
the morning. no one divines what the
world will he IN the evening"
, The Ashantee have the saying, "Al
white mon are proud" and the Onitshs
Olona, There IL nothing bigger thar
, white mon" Yet when We compare Tho
, wisdom of the Niger rs illustrated 10y
these fcw samples with the similar funC
Of the proverbs which We cite for oui
, own daily guidance tho question u su
, periority is not so simple. The blacks
. 81 Nigeria arc not vet ont Of savaGery
their estate is very primitive. Theii
experience is based on very few objects
. in their common life, on conditions de
., void Of complication. In the course %
. intellectual evolution they have ear!
, arrived NJ certain stage of pract!ca
. ! wisdom, experience has taught them
s We. on tho other hand. in. a complies
. condition Of life, have come up through
. long ages Of DEVELOPMENT and from som,
larry remote perloO lHNH nTonEUt VIII
us a baggage OF proverbial wisdom. Th
. community oe intellectual possession
between the very high and the very low
:. suggests Il problem ~ no little interest
, ! Experiments are making with tn
/, Binet- Simon test whereby II is sough
= to appraise the half-wits, the morons
, IN percentages Of the intellectualit,
= normal TO our educated community, tina
n which has been brought up 10 the stan
!, dards set by compulsory schooling NJ
: to the age Of IA. In this group OF saw
n age proverbs we may see a standard b,
y which to estimate the development o
our community IN tho power OF tudg
=, ment. OF determining elemental prin
/, cipies. In the foregoing specimen,
: truly representative ofthe much create
a mass recorded by Mr.. Thomas, we cal
find mono which we should dispute. Be
!. fore we leave this, the sole common an
n comparable possession OF this who'll
illiterate and OF this other professed
} literate race. we could wish that som
h Binet-Simon test might be applied I
n the normal community for the estab
p lishment OF a fixed standard of our ow
4 intellectual equipment II might the
Il he found that in the capacity for judg
=, ment, for the recognition of basic prin
1NV.NA 1-aN .sN.