PS S3W ■i;i;ii' ;i!!!' '!'i;l!!iii; ii* hr.i; ;^)! .>\' 'X'^- •^, '- S^ ^ ^^.% ' .;^:2^_ -^^^'% N .^^s^w^ * /\ WISDOM FOR THE WISE A BOOK OF PROVERBS By LORENZO SOSSO Author of Proverbs for the people Wisdom for the wise — who need it More than the babes to whom we feed it. New York Dodge Publishing Company 220 East 23d Street iLmflARYofCONGRESst Two CoDies Receivod SEP 190/' ^ Copyrrrht Inliy COPY B. Copyright, 1907, by Dodge Publishing Company The present volume contains a numerous se- lection from the author's "Proverbs of the People'' and "Wisdom for the Wise" with the addition of more than fifty new and or- iginal proverbs nozv published for the first time. Many a delicate suggestion Has helped a man to ''pop" the question. The gift the fool refuses Is that which wisdom chooses. We all consider venial A vice we find congenial. here's little of divinity In modern feminity. If all would practice what they preach There would be no one left to teach. The noblest life — the life of labor; The noblest love — to love your neighbor. A dole of thanks, though but a pittance, Assists in gratitude's acquaintance. They only who have loved or haled Know the full meaning of mismated, We always play the game to win, We never think about the sin. Seen through a sceptic's prism Religion is a schism. A little indiscretion Is every man's possession. No sin will need acquittal Which never knew committal. Lament the present not the past If few of Fortune's gifts thou hast. Rich, poor, or proud or gifted, All through Death's sieve are siftedo Some women are a blessing: The others — keep you guessing! Insult not through indignity Youth's dreams or old's benignity. "Work that is play, and play that is work;" The wisdom of life is neither to shirk. Tested in Mammon's crucible To what is Love reducible! 'Tis strange with what asperity We entertain sincerity. The virtue of society Is certainly not piety. Hdom is martyrdom attended I By any pomp or pageant splendid. Too many maidens think of marriage As of a journey in a carriage. Even the greatest wisdom fails When weighing love in even scales. However great, however little, All gods made out of clay are brittle. Nothing can be more hateful Than friendship turned ungrateful. f^ 5<$* Cunning has always cheated Those who are most conceited. What glittering generality We make of liberality We easily dissever Performance from endeavor A hundred years of slight Make not one hour of Right Death speaks the valedictory To Life's defeat or victory. Do thou good deeds; and in the doing Remember they will bear renewing. Much must he deal in courtesies Who every one alike would please. 'Tis deeper wisdom to refrain Than to presume to speak in vain. A pigmy dwelling with the giants Is apt to boast of self-reliance. By far more wealth than merit The children of the rich inherit. Who speaketh with authority Still speaks with the minority. To charge self-love with blindness Is justice but unkindness. ^^^ It is not only foxes Who deal in paradoxes. «^ «^ Vain is the toil of any man Who endeth not what he began. Whenever you would give advice Be not too liberal; keep a slice. 'Tis not the splendor of the blade Which makes the enemy afraid. Some men presume to greatness With too austere sedateness. They preach of life's amenities Who profit by its lenities. There is no heavier fetter Than that v/hich binds a debtor. Upon the peaks of culture Vanity is a vulture. A little of timidity Should temper intrepidity A better life of laughter May better life hereafter. The coward still finds cause to fear Though danger may be never near. Seek not all wisdom in a well, The stars have also things to tell. The foolish are contented When by a fool they're represented. They who spend life in dancing Are seldom found advancing. Better to speak a platitude Than not express your gratitude. According as you may contrast The petty changes to the vast. Pride always finds a sumptuous niche In the heart of a beggar grown suddenly rich. When Love grows too observant It ceases to be fervent. ■^ 'Tis only his reverses The speculator curses. greatness were enough for one The cow would soon the h-ire outrun. There's many torments waiting A tongue too prone to prating. Sessions presided o'er by hate Never see cause to arbitrate. Always the greatest quack 'tis Who boasts about his practice. God's precept only mattered Until fair Eve was flattered. t?* c5* A compromise, however bad, Is better than a lawsuit had. The rock of faith is founded Upon a sea unsounded The folly of a jester Speaks often words that fester I Pity the man whose trust is I That lawyers deal in justice y This is the law by which to live — To give to get ; to get to give. If only given the occasion A sinner does not need persuasion, To misconstrue veracity Is deemed in law sagacity. Make of Adversity a friend, Much precious lore hath she to lend, It is the wise man's folly Which makes fools melancholy. Give not the praise of meekness To indolence or weakness. jT ^ Better a mite of gumption Than mountains of presumption. Millions are spent for pride: a pence Suffices for benevolence. To trust to an illusion Is reason in confusion. With genius a disease or blunder There's little left in life of wonder. Virtue should be commended Although from vice descended. The hate of man is frightful: The hate of woman spiteful. Dilute with some discreetness Love's honey-cup of sweetness. If manners will not make a man Effrontery surely never can. Better poor independence Than royalty's resplendence. The road of the friendless Is lonely and endless. Poison is in the chalice Touched by the lips of malice. The cap for all humanity Of universal fit is — Vanity. All wisdom to be popular Must learn the art of being jocular. There is a law for each occasion. Another law for its evasion. No wind is good of any sort To him who steereth for no port. 'Tis when we toil for guerdon That virtue seems a burden. If death were less procurable Life would seem more endurable. He leads a life precarious Whose scorn of man is various. What profits it to experiment Upon the cause of merriment? Not always every deed that's glorious Is morally as meritorious. No interdict can leaven i The charity of heaven. Some sinners would adventure To sign a saint's indenture. It would be folly for the rabbit To mask itself in lion's habit. 'Tis fear as much as feeling Compels a sinner's kneeling. Many a seed worth sowing Has proved a weed in growing. If quality be Nature's law Then Jacob still should rule Esau. How true! we cry, how striking! Some pathos to our liking. What's worth the cost of gaining Is also worth retaining. Character, not features. Distinguishes God's creatures. Sympathy should outrun The fleet steeds of the sun I hold it still 'permissable To kiss a woman — if she's kissable. The weathercock upon the steeple Is not the pastor of the people. 'Tis not by mental churning That men increase their learning. We're always sure of winning The game from the beginning. Why should it seem surprising To find Wealth patronizing? 1^ That mountains are removeable Must still remain unproveable. A landmark good protection yields Though placed between two brothers' fields. Man's greatness and endurance Need no divine assurance. An amity convivial Is generally trivial. -K any a present mystery Will solve man's future history. The beauty of a building Is not alone its gilding. A brave man never pauses To know^ w^hat valor's cause is. However much a beggar choose A fortune is not his to lose. We may die with thirst at the brink of The fountain we once scorned to drink of. AH men are dreamers — but a fraction f'ulfill the dreams of men with action. Quickly is love's duration reckoned; With woman a minute, with man a second. Many a costly jewel Has Folly used for fuel The followers of Hypocrisy Can form no aristocracy. For every grain of common sense I The heaps of folly are immense. «5W t.7* Think not all playthings are for boys; The oldest dotard hath his toys. Who buys nor pays for what he got May sell what he would rather not. Who would lick honey from a thorn Will soon have cause enough to mourn Let not the wise spurn fools in speech ; What better pupils could they teach? At many a joyful meeting There is some heart with sorrow beating. Beware of prophets too spectacular However much oracular. Men in opinion vary, , But women are contrary' A fool, however young in years, Knows some things better than the seen The earth no worse a water keepeth Than that which in the shadow sleepetif Wisdom begat but children twain. And one is Joy, and one is Pain. Too oft the hand which wears a glove Knows neither charity nor love. Folly sometimes an audience draws Where Wisdom vainly pleads its cause. O vain pursuit! to angle for a fish Which would not fill the poorest b( gar's dish. Many an ancient riddle Was solved by Nero's fiddle. Every one at least a pair Of a fool's shoes must outwear 'Tis sorrow more than jollity- Which proves a heart's true quality. The art which makes demeanor gracious Oft makes the character mendacious. Vain thought to make the wisest laugh, The cow thinks she was ne'er a calf. The riddle of many a name unnoted; A pearl will sink where a leaf has floated. ,n^ A woman's tongue can raise more clamor Than even Vulcan with his hammer. 3 s The more 'tis rainbows that we chase The more we madden in the race. ^ s Man's faith in his futurity Is a bond without security. Ignorance misguided Should never be derided. Whether we lead or lag behind it We leave the world much as we find it. ^ How great their folly who suppose The thorn adds richness to the rose. Life is a game: though none gainsay it, How very few know how to play it! 'Tis but a poor repentance Which follows after sentence. The title of respectable Makes life to some delectable. To call a goose a gander Is but perverting slander. T The jackass still rejoices To hear his brethren's voices. Who ever woman courted Has often truth distorted. Base is he who despises The means by which he rises. I>s. It is not virtue singly Can make man s nature kingly. ^ ^ How many world-exalted Have from their fame defaulted. __ — =_=_ — = — =^ The beauty of a sermon , Is not in stole or ermine. ! Only strong natures can support Prosperity of every sort. The fox can with facility Assume the garb humility. Kings dignify their station But not their occupation. «,§• ^ Tis useless seeeking nettles Within a lily's petals. The victims of obesity Make virtue of necessity The devil laughs who audits Man's mortuary plaudits. «^ tiX 'Tis not in haunted houses The devil most carouses. Not all the Lord's anointed Are chosen or appointed. Think not by beating of a drum That fame and wealth to :hee will come, «<5w ^* Truth is Truth, irrespective Of personal invective. If lacking in ability Redeem it with civility. Better be poor and needy Than gourmandized and greedy. «Jw 4$5 We often are indebted To things we have regretted. When fools have come to blows Only a fool will interpose. 'Tis from the wealth of sages The world pays folly's wages. We clothe both truth and fable In ermine or in sable. Better equivocating Than quarreling in debating. No woman's beauty surely Was born to die obscurely. 'Tis nothing new or novel I To find a genius in a hovel. When wrongs are to be righted Law should be expedited. When charity extending Don't seem too condescending. What is the world's derision To him who hath the vision? Love whose affection ranges Is soon a love which changes. Beauty too overweening Is hardly worth the gleaning. There Is too much disparity Between good-will and charity. The wisdom that forestalleth Is oft the first that falleth. The spirit of negation Is not renunciation. The virtues that we nourish Are those most apt to flourish. God weigheth in the balance Man's virtues not his talents. We seldom think it curious That poets are penurious. From every gnomic statement Reason exacts rebatement. Some men require no schooling To learn the art of ruling. Following Fortune's calling Is certainly enthralling. Silence hath many ways For winning wisdom's praise^ Absence makes many wandei Instead of growing fonder. Many a stupid blunder Has filled the world with wonder. A single penny fairly got Is worth a thousand that are not The steps are better counted After they are surmounted. When folly is commended What fool can feel offended? ^ The matrimonial function Is often Love's disjunction. How easily vice can win us To waste the good within us, Who seeks the joy of giving Will know the joy of living. Sometimes it proves expensive To be too apprehensive. God loves hilarity Free from vulgarity. Who sip the cup of pleasure Wail not at overmeasure. The creed which needs apology Is but a poor doxologj;. Misfortune maketh stumble The great more than the humble. Why men are not more sensible Is still incomprehensible. Both cowardice and cunning Are very apt at running. Travel with an attorney May prove a costly journey There is no perpetuity To human ingenuity. It would be detrimental To the tiger to be gentle It is the eagle's pinions Which give it wide dominions, The more covetous the wish The more grievous is the dish. All women soon discover The way to win a lover. ^1f' To delicately cast aspersion Is smart society's diversion. 'Tis only in Life's sequel That kings and clowns are equal, Credulity still fosters Society's impostors. Law with mysterious shuttle Forever weaves rebuttal. A superstition deeply rooted Cannot be easily refuted. Some novels called romantic Seem folly growing frantic. No want of will will always be No want of opportunity. The greater man's pomposity The less his generosity It is too late to falter When standing at the altar. This world is not a boulder Carried on God's shoulder. The spirit of conformity May breed some strange enormity. t3* «JS Many a saint's reflection Would hardly bear inspection. «5* «$• That cause is seldom moral Which instigates a quarrel. a Some women seem adorable Whose morals are deplorable. t5* «5* This marrying for money May not be quite so funny. The spirit dutiful Is also beautiful. Deceit still wears upon her The mantle of dishonor. No genius merely cynical Can stand upon Fame's pinnacle. ^ ^ Not every rill becomes a river; Not every arrow leaves its quiver. A thousand die of drinking first Ere one w^ill die of bitter thirst. To build a church or buy it Is not to sanctify it. The virtue of a woman Proclaims her truly human The love between the sexes The devil still perplexes. To win success we must not stack Too many burdens on our back. {5* t5* If poverty could make men cheerful Prosperity would feel less fearful. Who stirs a pot to make it bubble May get a scalding for his trouble. How lovingly some people handle The tainted morsel of a scandal. What lapidary would demolish A precious stone for lack of polish? It often takes two swords to keep Another in its sheath asleep. Whatever we embellish ^^ Rewards us by its relish. It will not help your feet to mount To look upon the steps and count. *$• «i5* The fearlessness of many an action Springs from man's fealty to faction. Who walks the road of splendor Must not have feet too tender. The merchant thinks commendable Whatever goods are vendible. Only a fool will care to boast Of where his shoe doth pinch the most. Alas! for the fate of the social reformer Who finds things warm and but mak( them warmer. t5* «!?• Love in its season Is love without reason. The more a tongue is voluable The less its sense is soluble. If you're a hero, for example, Don't prove it by the worms you trample. The devil surely gets his portion Without resorting to extortion.. We still hold fate accountable. For what proves unsurmountable. There's many things more edifying Than man's precocity in lying. When some dead lie is resurrected The liar is the most affected. t^ 1^ The more incredible the fiction The greater grows a fool's conviction. Persuasion will not wheedle The eye-hole from a needle. "^ To trust to intuition v^ Is reason's superstition. In Life's great volume every leaf Reveals the water-mark of grief. Not even fate can claim control Over man's fortitude of soul. Mankind should never lengthen The arm it helps to strengthen. Because a sword is pliable Proves not 'tis unreliable. In law too little brevity; In love too much of levity The gift is not the donor, The giving not the honor. 14 He buys his life too dearly Who takes it too severely. When going forth to borrow Never go forth in sorrow. 'Tis little use rebelling Against our earthly dwelling. ^Afe. Nothing seems less heroical Than folly turning stoical. 'Tis wise to drop the jest Then when it pleases best Love's greatest price Is sacrifice. The rainbows of existence Are always in the distance. Dismiss not with impunity The god of opportunity. The road to Fruit Forbidden Is woefully overridden. v$* «<5* The gift of prophesying Is but the gab of lying. A modicum of sauvity Can gild even depravity. r No reason is conclusive Whose reasoner is abusive. Disputing and borrowing Cause bitter sorrowing. Never be pusillanimous Of being too magnanimous. The essence of all holiness Is reverence and lowliness. t^ «^ Dissenters never mention The folly of dissention. Justice never begrudges Compassion to its judges The mantle of morality- May cover deep rascality. Connubial felicity Is based on some duplicity. Plenty with its bin full Thinks Poverty is sinful. An oath is not an act of daring; There's truer virtue in forbearing. V?* t^ Defeat becomes a noble master When teaching us to shun disaster. Not truthfulness but lying Needs ever fortifying. A virtuous inclination Provides but meager ration. To-morrow's wealth cannot outweigh The priceless value of to-day. Linked to a virtue that is vicious E'en love itself grows meretricious. Folly doth still attend the birth Of every mortal on the earth. J8 ^ The devil's virtuous intention Is but a pin-point in dimension. Men martyr truth for its conviction And yet will crown the works of fiction. <^ <^ The opulence of a spendthrift son Is but the miser's greed outdone. <(S» ^ That wheel the fastest in its spoke Is very often soonest broke. A sordid thought Is easily bought. Who buys hath always eyes too few; Who sells, one eye for him will do. «^ t^ There is dishonor in detraction Spoken by either sex or faction. «,$• t^ This adage learn and treasure long; Challenge no fool to do thee wrong. The youth is apt to mock at age, While folly envieth the sage. Sometimes an ounce of knowledge Is worth a pound of college. That God's ways are inscrutable Is certainly irrefutable. 'Tis folly to importune For all the gifts of Fortune. Each guide-post of correction Points onward to Perfection. Who goeth softly safely goes ; Wisdom walks on velvet toes. 'Tis those who trust their all to Chance Who think fate rules all circumstance. He was not all a fool who blurted, ^'The devil cannot be converted." It is through what they instigate Some men succeed in being great. i^i^- There are some fashions fools Invent Which wise men come to supplement. They are not always free from care Who dance unto some joyful air. Friendship who hath two edges Is prone to cut its pledges. ir The virtue of gentility Is its respectability. To change not always means to better; To bend is not to break the fetter. Better the envy of the witty Than to be looked upon with pity. The cap of folly can be fitted On many heads both wise and witted. ->. \>' .x^'^^ ,6^ :7 . ^ . '^^. ' « ' A^^' OO- .0- \' **. ^^<: ,0^ " ^ r^' -r- .Oo. ■ ^ ^' ^.\w^.-.^ - . ^/^ .K :'<^ % V 1 B cp^v^',,;^ ^ \o_..,;V"^:>'..--,/^'°'^VV»:;' ■0 ■ ^ .H r. .0 O^ o'^ . "c^ .•\ ■'.. ,^^