[Illustration: AN ARAB CARPENTER'S TOOLS.]

In America there is hardly a boy living but he can drive a nail and saw
off a board and put up a shelf. In Arabia only carpenters' sons can do
these things; the ordinary boy does not even know how to use a jack-knife;
he never had one. A short definition of Arabia would be "a land without
tools." Ritter, the great geographer, calls Arabia "the anti-industrial
centre of the world," which is only the same definition in other words.




XV

ARABIC PROVERBS AND ARABIC HUMOUR


The people of Topsy-turvy Land, like all orientals, are very fond of
proverbs and short, bright sayings. You know that even to-day there are
men who go about in the coffee shops of Arabia to tell stories, just as
you have read in the Arabian Nights. Some of their stories are very
interesting and some of their proverbs are wise. Others are not
interesting and many of their stories are too bad to repeat. Even some of
their proverbs bear the mark of their topsy-turvy religion and are only
half true. Judge them for yourself. Here are fifty examples; which do you
think is the best proverb among them? Are they all good?

First seek your neighbour, then build your house.

First get a companion, then go on the road.