in — success, +im Glücksfalle+; in — fortune, +im Unglücksfalle+.
[19] +aus´zeichnen.+
[20] +Handlungsweise.+ _All his_ happiness, +sein ganzes Glück+; _all
our_ family, +~unsere ganze~ Familie+.
[21] +Verhaltungsbefehl+, m., directions for conduct; to, +an+.
[22] This is not worth remembering, +dies ist nicht der Beachtung wert+.
[23] +melden+.
[24] Say literally ‘these have no haste’.
[25] His — business, +Seine Arbeitskraft+.
[26] +und erweitert unsere bisherigen Vorstellungen von den im Menschen
wohnenden Kräften.+
[27] +bis auf.+
[28] +Oranien.+ Commence this period with: ‘From Ulysses’.
[29] +doch keinen, der auch nur ein zehntel von den Thaten dieses Mannes
vollbracht hätte+ (App. § 33).
_Section 158._
THE WARLIKE CHARACTER OF THE GERMANS.
The Germans fight as _a_ nation. Whatever[1] their birth[2] or (S. 10,
N. 9) profession, all are trained[3] soldiers. The nation is the army;
the army is the nation. Hence[4] they cannot be moved save at the bidding
of some grand principle, and the stirring[5] of some soul-penetrating[6]
_and_ elevating sentiment; and yet they are as sensible[7] as any nation
that they abandon comfort[8], domestic ease, monetary independence,
everything[9] which (S. 3, N. 7) men (= man) love and live for, in[10]
order to identify the nation and the army. But they are willing to pay
the price. They count[11] hardihood of body and trained[12] courage of
heart the noblest riches of a nation. They reckon[11] _that_ national
independence and national greatness _are a_ thousand times more precious
than gold and silver, and[13] that to die on the field of battle is
better and happier than to rot[14] and crumble away in sybaritic ease.
They[15] hold, too, that[16] the cause of liberty, and the free noble
spirit engendered by the brotherhood of a nationality which affirms its
oneness by noble acts[17], is blessed by God, and that He will give[18]
victory to the armies who go forth to battle in (S. 3, N. 2) trust in[19]
His name. No wonder[20] they fight and triumph[21].—ADMIRAL GARBETT.
[1] supply the verb ‘be’.
[2] = station, +Stand+, m.
[3] = practised.
[4] Say ‘Hence they can be moved (+erregen+) only at (+durch+) the
bidding (+Gebot+, n.)’.
[5] +Erweckung+, f.
[6] +die Seele ergreifend.+
[7] ‘to be sensible’, here +sich bewußt sein+.
[8] here +die Annehmlichkeiten des Lebens+.
[9] Say ‘in short give up everything’, for the verb ‘abandon’ must be
placed at the end of this clause.
[10] Say ‘in order to prove the identity of the nation and the army’.
[11] +halten (für).+
[12] here +gestählt+.
[13] Say ‘and feel that it is better and nobler to die’, etc.
[14] +vermodern+; to crumble away, +verfallen+; ‘ease’, here
+Gemächlichkeit+.
[15] +Auch halten sie dafür.+
[16] Construe thus: ‘that God will bless the cause (+Sache+, f.) of
liberty’, and use the attributive constr. for the transl. of ‘and the —
nationality’. Any other constr. would be much too clumsy.
[17] = deeds.
[18] to give victory, +den Sieg verleihen+; to go forth to battle, +in
die Schlacht ziehen+.
[19] +auf.+
[20] Supply ‘then, that’.
[21] = conquer.
_Section 159._
THE[1] WAY TO MASTER THE TEMPER.
A London (S. 157, N. 4) merchant, having[2] a dispute with a Quaker
concerning a business account, determined[3] to institute a law-suit
against him. Desirous of amicably settling[4] the matter, the Quaker
called at the house of the merchant, when[5] the latter became so enraged
that he vehemently[6] declared to his servant _that_ he would (App. §§ 28
and 30) not see his opponent. “Well, friend,” said the Quaker quietly,
“may[7] God put thee in a better mind.” The merchant was[8] subdued by
the kindness of the reply, and, after careful consideration, became
convinced that[9] he was wrong. He sent[10] for the Quaker, and[11]
after making a humble apology, he asked: “How were you able to bear my
abuse[11] with so much patience?” “Friend,” replied the Quaker, “I was
naturally[12] as hot[13] and violent as thou _art_, but I knew that[14]
to indulge my temper was sinful, and also very foolish. I observed that
men in a passion always spoke very loud, and I thought that[15], if
I could control my voice, I should keep down my passion. I therefore
made[16] it a rule never to let it rise above a certain key; and by _a_
careful observance of this rule I have, with the blessing of God[17],
entirely mastered my[18] natural temper.”—ALCOTT.
[1] +Wie man seinen Zorn beherrschen kann.+
[2] Change ‘having’ into ‘had’; the object is best placed after ‘account’.
[3] Supply ‘and’ before ‘determined’; to institute a law-suit against a
person, +einen gerichtlich belangen+.
[4] to settle a matter amicably, +eine Sache auf gütliche Weise ordnen+.
Comp. S. 30, N. 4, and note that the Present Participle ‘being’ is
understood at the commencement of this period.
[5] = whereupon.
[6] = emphatically, +nachdrücklich+.
[7] Say ‘may God alter thy mind (+Gesinnung+, f.)’.
[8] to be subdued, +sich besiegt fühlen+; by, +durch+.
[9] ‘that — wrong’ may be briefly turned by ‘of his wrong’.
[10] to send for a person, +einen zu sich rufen lassen+.
[11] ‘and — asked’. This passage, literally translated, would be
inelegant in German, say: ‘humbly begged his pardon, and asked then’.
Abuse, +Beleidigung+, f.
[12] +von Natur.+
[13] = passionate.
[14] = that it was sinful, etc.; to indulge one’s temper, +seinem Zorn
freien Lauf lassen+.
[15] = that I could (App. § 33) conquer my anger through mastering my
voice (+durch Beherrschung meiner Stimme+).
[16] We make it a rule never to let our voices rise beyond a certain
key, +wir machen es uns zur Regel, unsere Stimmen nie über eine gewisse
Tonstärke hinaus zu erheben+.
[17] = with God’s help.
[18] = my natural inclination to (+zu+) anger (S. 3, N. 2).
_Section 160._
OPINIONS[1] AS TO ENGLISH EDUCATION.
I.
This[2] energy of individual life and example acting throughout society
constitute[3] the best practical education of Englishmen. Schools,
academies, and colleges[4] give but the[5] merest beginning of culture
in comparison with it (S. 4, N. 5). Far higher[6] and more practical
is[7] the life-education daily given in our homes, in[8] the streets,
behind (S. 3, N. 2) counters[9], in workshops, at the loom and behind
the plough, in counting-houses and manufactories, and[10] in all the
busy haunts of men. This is the education that[11] fits Englishmen
for doing the work and acting the part of free men. This[12] is that
final instruction as members of society, which Schiller designated “the
education of the human race,” consisting[13] in action, conduct[14],
self-culture, self-control—all[15] that tends to discipline a man truly,
and fit him for the proper performance of the duties of life—a _kind
of_ education not to be learnt (S. 7, N. 3 _B_) from (+aus+) books.
Lord Bacon observes that[16] “Studies teach not their own use, but that
there is (S. 82, N. 7) a wisdom without them and above them, won (S.
7, N. 3 _B_, and S. 2, N. 1) by (+durch+) observation, a remark that
holds[17] true of[18] actual life, as well as of[19] the cultivation of
the intellect itself. For _all_ observation serves[20] to illustrate and
enforce the lesson, that _a_ man perfects himself by work much more than
by reading[21],—_that_[22] it is life[23] rather than literature[21],
action[24] rather than study, _and_ character[25] rather than
biography[26], which[27] tend perpetually to renovate mankind.”
[1] +Ansichten über.+
[2] This — society. A good German rendering of the thought underlying
this line is so difficult, that the author thinks it best to give at once
his own translation, which he hopes will find acceptance: +Diese im mehr
selbständigen Leben sich entwickelnde Energie und das dadurch gegebene,
auf die ganze Gesellschaft wirkende Beispiel.+
[3] +aus´machen.+
[4] = universities; ‘to give’, here +gewähren+.
[5] = a mere.
[6] = more important.
[7] is — homes, +ist die im täglichen Leben gewonnene Erziehung zu Hause+.
[8] +auf.+
[9] Use this noun in the Sing.
[10] +und in den vielen andern Geschäftsstätten der Menschen.+
[11] Say ‘that enables Englishmen as free men to do their work and their
duty.
[12] This — designated = This education gives also to human society that
instruction (+Unterweisung+, f.), which Schiller calls, etc. +~Johann
Christoph Friedrich von Schiller~, geboren am 10. Nov. 1759 zu Marbach,
gestorben am 9. Mai 1805 zu Weimar, ist nächst Göthe+ (+Siehe+ S.
110, N. 1) +unstreitig die bedeutendste Erscheinung in der deutschen
Litteratur. Als ~Dichter~ zeichnete er sich sowohl durch seine ideale,
subjektive Richtung, wie auch durch hinreißenden Schwung echt poetischer
Begeisterung aus, welche im Drama ihren Höhepunkt erreichte. Aber auch
als Geschichtschreiber und als philosophischer Schriftsteller hat er sich
bei seiner Nation einen unsterblichen Namen erworben.+
[13] = and which consists in (S. 3, N. 2) action, etc.
[14] +in der sittlichen Aufführung.+
[15] = and in all that (here follows the verb ‘consists’, since this is
the end of the relative clause introduced in Note 13), which (S. 3, N. 7)
educates (+bilden+) man truly (+wahrhaft+) and fits (+befähigen+) him for
(+zu+) the proper performance (= fulfilment) of his duties in life.
[16] = that ‘Studies do not teach us the application of the same, but’,
etc.
[17] ‘to hold true’, here = to prove true.
[18] = in practical life.
[19] of — itself, +in Bezug auf die Geistesbildung selbst+.
[20] = interprets (+erklären+) and proves the doctrine.
[21] here +Lektüre+, f., with the art.
[22] This conj. ‘that’ is best omitted, since a repetition of subordinate
clauses must, as far as possible, be avoided.
[23] = practical life; ‘rather than’ seems here to be = ‘and not’.
[24] +Thätigkeit+, activity.
[25] The English word ‘character’ is so varied in its application that
it requires always the greatest discrimination to decide upon its
translation, and in this case more than ever. After careful consideration
it is thought to be equivalent here to: ‘the personal dignity of a man’.
[26] +die Lebensbeschreibung desselben.+
[27] +welche dazu dienen, die Menschheit stets von neuem zu beleben.+
_Section 161._
OPINIONS AS TO ENGLISH EDUCATION.
II.
Goethe (S. 5, N. 2), in _one of his_ conversations with Eckermann
at Weimar, once[1] observed: “It is very[2] strange, and I know not
whether[3] it lies in race, in climate, in[4] soil, or in their
healthy[5] education, but[6] certainly Englishmen seem to have a great
advantage over most other men. We see here in Weimar only a[7] minimum
of them, and[8] those, probably, by no means the best _specimens_, and
yet what splendid fellows they are! And although they come here as
seventeen-year-old[9] youths, yet they by no means feel strange in this
strange land; on the contrary, their entrance[10] and bearing[11] in
society is so confident[12] and quiet, that one would[13] think they were
everywhere the masters, and the whole world belonged to them[14].”
“I should not like to affirm, for all that[15],” replied Eckermann[16],
“that the English gentlemen in Weimar are cleverer, better educated, and
better hearted than our young men.”
“That is not the point[17],” said Goethe; “their superiority does not lie
in such things; neither[18] does it lie in their birth and fortune[19];
it lies precisely[20] in their having[21] the courage to be what nature
made them. There[22] is no halfness about[23] them. They are complete[24]
men. Sometimes complete fools also, that I heartily[25] admit, but even
that is something, and has its weight.”
Thus (App. § 14), in[26] Goethe’s eyes, the Englishmen fulfilled, to a
great extent, the injunction[27] given by Lessing[28] to those who would
be men:
“Think wrongly, if you please, but think for yourselves!”—S. SMILES,
“SELF-HELP.”
[1] = one day.
[2] ‘Very’ is often rendered by the superlative of the adv. +hoch+.
[3] ‘whether it lies’ may be elegantly translated by omitting the
conjunction ‘whether’ and using the inversion.
[4] +im heimatlichen Boden.+
[5] +heilsam.+
[6] Say ‘but it seems to be certain that Englishmen possess a great
superiority over most other men’.
[7] a minimum = very few.
[8] = and these (+dies+) are probably by no means the best, and yet
(+dennoch aber+) they are (+sind es+) splendid fellows!
[9] a thirty-year-old man, +ein dreißigjähriger Mann+.
[10] +Auftreten+, n.
[11] +Benehmen+, n.
[12] +sicher.+
[13] Render ‘would’ by the Impf. Subj. of +mögen+, since the sentence is
equivalent to ‘that one would be inclined to think’. The following verbs
must be constructed according to App. §§ 29 and 30.
[14] Supply ‘alone’ after ‘them’.
[15] for all that, +aber doch+, to be placed before ‘not’.
[16] +~Johann Peter Eckermann~, geboren 1792 zu Winsen in der preußischen
Provinz Hannover, gestorben den 3. Dez. 1854 zu Weimar, war viele Jahre
als Göthes Privatsekretär thätig und ist der Welt am bekanntesten durch
die von ihm nach Göthes Tode veröffentlichten ‘Gespräche mit Göthe’. Er
war auch der Herausgeber+ (editor) +von Göthes ‘Nachgelassenen Werken’.+
[17] +Sache+, f.
[18] +auch+ besteht sie nicht in.
[19] = wealth; Comp. S. 10, N. 9.
[20] = simply.
[21] =The English Gerund preceded by a possessive adjective and a
preposition, must be translated by a regular subordinate clause with a
conjunction and a finite verb=; as—
His superiority lies _in his having_ the courage to be what
nature made him.
+Seine Überlegenheit besteht ~darin~+ (S. 87, N. 6), +~daß er~
den Mut ~hat~, das zu sein, was er von Natur aus ist.+
[22] +Es.+
[23] +an.+
[24] = whole.
[25] = willingly; weight = value.
[26] = according to the judgment of Göthe.
[27] = advice; by, +von+; to, an; those = all such; who, +die da+.
[28] +~Gotth. Ephraim Lessing~, geboren den 22. Jan. 1729 zu Kamenz
(Oberlausitz), gestorben den 15. Febr. 1781 in Braunschweig, hat sich
durch seine ästhetisch-kritischen Werke, wie auch durch seine Dramen,
deren Form, Sprache, Methode und Inhalt fast unerreichte Muster sind,
einen unsterblichen Namen in der deutschen Litteraturgeschichte erworben.
Sein Wirken als genialer Kritiker, Forscher und Dichter war von
unermeßlichem Einfluß auf die nächste Entwickelung unserer Litteratur,
die mit ihm und durch ihn ihrer Glanzperiode entgegenschritt.+
_Section 162._
A ROYAL JUDGMENT.
A man and his wife named Lambrun had been many years in the service of
the unfortunate Queen Mary Stuart, and were sincerely attached to her.
The tragical death of that princess had such an effect on the husband
that he did not long survive her, and the[1] widow, Margaret Lambrun,
resolved to revenge, upon[2] Queen Elizabeth, the[3] death of two persons
so dear to her. She (S. 5, N. 2) therefore disguised[4] herself in man’s
clothes, bought (S. 58, N. 8) a brace[5] _of_ pistols, and went[6] to (S.
72, N. 4) London. Soon after, when the queen[7] appeared in[8] public,
Margaret endeavoured to[9] make her way through the crowd in order to
shoot her[10]; but one of the pistols fell[11], and she was immediately
apprehended.
The[12] queen, being informed of the circumstance[13], ordered[14] the
man to be brought before her, and said to him: “Well, Sir, who are
you[15]? and why do you seek[16] to kill me?”—“Madam,” replied Margaret,
“I am a woman; I was a long time in the service of Queen Mary Stuart,
whom you put[17] to death unjustly; her execution caused[18] the death of
my dear husband, who was sincerely attached to her; and my affection for
both _of them has_ excited[19] me to revenge.”—“And how do you think I
ought to deal[20] with you?” asked Elizabeth.—“Do you speak as _a_ queen
or as _a_ judge?” returned Margaret.—“As _a_ queen.”—“Then you ought to
pardon[21] me,” was the answer.—“And what security[22] can you give me
that you will not attempt[16] my life again?”—“Madam, a[23] pardon
granted upon conditions ceases to be a favour[24].”—“Well then,” said the
queen, “I pardon you, and trust to your gratitude for[25] my safety.”—P.
SADLER.
[1] = his.
[2] +an+, with the Dat. of the def. art. The words ‘upon — Elizabeth’
must be placed before the supine. Comp. App. § 1.
[3] We lament the death of the two boys so dear to us, +wir beweinen den
Tod der beiden uns so teuren Knaben+.
[4] to disguise oneself in man’s clothes, +sich als Mann verkleiden+.
[5] = a pair.
[6] +sich begeben+, insep. comp. str. v. refl.
[7] Here place the adverbs ‘soon after’.
[8] +öffentlich.+
[9] to make one’s way, +sich einen Weg bahnen+.
[10] to shoot a person, +auf einen schießen+.
[11] +entfiel ihr.+
[12] Construe accord. to S. 55, N. 1, and S. 4, N. 4, (+man+).
[13] +Vorfall+, m.
[14] +ließ sie den Mann vor sich führen.+
[15] Use the 2nd pers. pl. (+Ihr+) here and in the following passages,
since that was the pronoun generally used in addressing persons in olden
times.
[16] to seek to kill a person (_or_ to attempt a person’s life), +einem
nach dem Leben trachten+.
[17] to put a person to death unjustly, +einen ungerechterweise
hinrichten lassen+.
[18] This caused the death of our child, +dies kostete unserem Kinde das
Leben+. The insertion of the adv. +auch+ after the verb ‘caused’ would
considerably improve the German rendering.
[19] to excite a person to revenge, +einen zur Rache antreiben+. Use the
Impf.
[20] +verfahren.+
[21] +begnadigen+, v. tr.
[22] +Bürgschaft+, f.
[23] a — conditions, +eine bedingungsweise Begnadigung+.
[24] +Gnade+, f.
[25] +hinsichtlich+, followed by the Gen. The words ‘to (+auf+) your
gratitude’ are best placed at the end.
_Section 163._
TACITUS.
I am glad to find[1], by your (= thy) letter just received, that you are
reading Tacitus[2] with _some_ relish. His style is rather quaint[3] and
enigmatical, which (S. 3, N. 7) makes[4] it difficult to the student;
but then[5] his pages[6] are filled with such admirable apothegms and
maxims of political wisdom, as[7] infer the deepest knowledge of human
nature; and it is particularly necessary that any one intending to become
a public speaker should[8] be master of his works, as[9] there is neither
an ancient nor a modern author who affords such a selection of admirable
quotations. You should exercise yourself frequently in[10] trying to make
translations of the[11] passages which most strike[12] you, trying[13]
to invest[14] the sense of (S. 25, N. 5) Tacitus in as good English as
you can. This will answer[15] the double purpose of making yourself
familiar with the Latin author, and giving you the command of[16] your
own language, which no person will ever have[17] who[18] does not study
composition in early life.—SIR WALTER SCOTT, “LETTERS TO HIS SON.”
[1] here +ersehen+; by, +aus+.
[2] Use the def. art. accord. to S. 25, N. 5.
[3] = unusual and unclear (+dunkel+).
[4] to make difficult, +erschweren+; student = pupil.
[5] = on the other hand, +andererseits+.
[6] = writings, +Schriften+; filled with such, +so voll von+.
[7] as infer = that they prove.
[8] Say ‘should thoroughly (+gründlich+) know his works’.
[9] Say ‘as there is (S. 82, N. 7) no classical nor (+noch+) modern
author (+Schriftsteller+)’.
[10] in trying = in the attempt, +in dem Versuche+.
[11] = such.
[12] This passage struck me most, +diese Stelle machte am meisten
Eindruck auf mich+.
[13] trying = and try.
[14] +wie´dergeben+, sep. comp. str. v. tr.
[15] This does not answer my purpose, +dies entspricht meinem Zwecke
nicht+.
[16] +über+.
[17] = obtain.
[18] +welcher sich nicht schon in der Jugend in schriftlichen Aufsätzen
übt.+
_Section 164._
HUMILITY.
I believe the first[1] test of a truly great man is his humility. I do
not mean by[2] humility, doubt of[3] his own power, or hesitation[4] in
speaking[5] his opinions, but a right understanding of the relation
between[6] what he can do and say, and[7] the rest of the world’s sayings
and doings. All great men not only know[8] their business[9], but usually
know[10] that[11] they know it; they are not only right in their main
opinions[12], but they usually know that they are right in them (S. 4, N.
5, _B_); only they do not think much of themselves on[13] that account.
Arnolfo[14] knows he can build a good[15] dome at Florence; Albert[16]
Dürer writes calmly[17] to one who had found fault with his work: “It
cannot be better done;” Sir Isaac Newton knows that he has worked[18] out
a problem or two that would have puzzled anybody[19] else:—only they do
not expect their[20] fellow-men therefore to fall down and worship them;
they[21] have a curious under-sense of powerlessness, feeling (S. 30, N.
4) that the greatness is[22] not in them, but through them; that they
could (App. § 33) not do or be anything else than[23] what God made them.
They see something divine and God-made[24] in every other man, and are
endlessly, nay[25] incredibly merciful[26].—ANONYMOUS.
[1] = best; test, +Prüfstein+, m.
[2] +unter+, which place at the head of the period; mean = understand.
[3] +an+, with the Dat.
[4] here +Unentschlossenheit+.
[5] +aus´sprechen.+
[6] +von.+
[7] = and of that which the remaining world can say and do.
[8] = understand.
[9] +Sache+, f.
[10] +wissen+, after which insert the adv. +auch+.
[11] that they understand the same (to agree with +Sache+).
[12] +Hauptansichten.+
[13] on that account, +deswegen+, which place after the Subj.; to think
much of oneself, +eine große Meinung von sich haben+.
[14] +~Arnolfo di Cambio~, berühmter Baumeister und Bildhauer zu Florenz
(1232-1300), baute den Dom+ St. Maria del fiore +zu Florenz und das
Tabernakel zu St. Paolo in Rom.+
[15] = stately.
[16] +~Albrecht Dürer~, geboren den 20. Mai 1471 zu Nürnberg, gestorben
den 6. April 1528 ebendaselbst, muß zu den hervorragendsten und
vielseitigsten Künstlern gezählt werden, die je gelebt. Er war nicht
allein ausgezeichneter Maler, sondern auch zugleich Kupferstecher+
(engraver on copper), +Formschneider+ (moulder), +Bildhauer+ (sculptor),
+Architekt und Schriftsteller+ (author) +über die Kunst. Er war
der Erfinder der Ätzkunst, erfand das Mittel, die Holzschnitte mit
~zwei~ Farben zu drucken, und vervollkommnete die Schriftgießerei+
(type-foundry), +~denn von ihm stammt die Form der deutschen Lettern~+.
[17] +gelassen+; one, +jemand+.
[18] to work out a problem or two, +Probleme lösen+.
[19] anybody else, +jeder andere+, as Nom.
[20] = that their fellow-men therefore (+deshalb+) must (+sollen+) fall
down before them and worship (+an´beten+) them. The auxiliary +sollen+
must be placed last, accord. to App. § 18.
[21] they — powerlessness. This clause cannot be rendered in a literal
way, but may be expressed thus: ‘they recognise that they are, after all,
only powerless’; after all, only, +doch nur+, which place after the Subj.
[22] is not = manifests itself not (+sich offenbaren+).
[23] +als wozu Gott sie erschaffen.+
[24] +Gotterschaffenes.+
[25] +ja sogar.+
[26] = forbearing, +nachsichtig+.
_Section 165._
RUSSIAN POLITICAL PRISONERS IN BANISHMENT.
I.