Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 5, 1894.djvu/241

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But I have gone a step further, and have classed the majority of the proverbs under two heads, a subjective and an objective head ; the subjective being, of course, the sense or meaning intended to be conveyed by the proverbs, the objective the natural object which suggested it, and which served as the simile. For example, "As poor as a church mouse." Here poverty is the subject or idea intended to be conveyed, and the church mouse was the object in the mind of the person who first coined the expression. Some, however, do not admit of this double classification, e.g., "Poor, poor for ever." In this case poverty is the only idea, both subject and object, except indeed that poverty is incurable and everlasting. But this is one of the many cases of false doctrine unfortunately to be found amongst proverbs. Others, again, may be classed under three or more heads ; in these cases it will perhaps be sufficient to select the leading and most conspicuous feature.

In the majority of cases it will also be found convenient to include the idea and its antithesis under the same head, e.g., friends, enemies ; patience, haste ; because both are frequently combined in the same proverb. In all instances where a proverb appears more than once in a list a reference should be made against each to the other heads under which the same proverb may be found. This "double entry" will facilitate the work of the student in his work of comparison by bringing all proverbs together, i.e., both subjective and objective, under one head.

The latter, or objective classification, is clearly of the greater importance, as furnishing a clue to and illustrating the habits and surroundings of the people. An agricultural community would naturally employ objects connected with that industry as the basis of its proverbs, and a community dependent principally upon fishing might also be expected to have recourse to fish, the sea, etc., for illustration of its ideas.

Thus, in the case of Manx proverbs, I find frequent