German composition

Section 125 Dr. Guthrie on Ragged Schools. — III

I⁠1 took up that man’s history, and I found it animated by⁠2 the spirit of⁠3 Him who⁠4 had “compassion on the multitude.” John Pounds was a clever man besides⁠5; and, like⁠6 Paul, if he could not win a poor boy in (auf) any other way, he won him by art. He⁠7 would be seen chasing a ragged boy along the quays, and compelling him to come to⁠8 school, not by (durch) the power⁠9 of a policeman, but by the power of a hot potato. He knew the love an⁠10 Irishman has for a potato; and⁠11 John Pounds might be seen holding under a boy’s nose a very hot potato, and⁠12 wearing a coat as ragged as the boy himself wore. When the day comes when⁠13 honour shall be done to whom honour is due⁠14, I⁠15 can fancy the crowd of those whose fame poets (S. 3, N. 2) have sung⁠16, and to whose memory monuments have been raised, dividing⁠17 like a wave, and⁠18 passing the great, and the noble, and the mighty of the land, this poor, obscure old man stepping forward and receiving the especial notice of Him who said: “Inasmuch⁠19 as ye did it to one of the least of those, ye did it also to me.”—Dr. Guthrie.

Notes

1 I followed up (verfolgen) the life of this man.

2 von.

3 of Him, dessen.

4 who (der da) had compassion with the poor.

5 auch, placed after the verb.

6 wie Paulus, which place after ‘him’; by art = through cunning (List).

7 He — seen = One saw him often; to chase a person, einem nach´laufen. Read S. 78, N. 14, 2.

8 zur Schule.

9 Macht, f.

10 Say ‘of an I. for a hot potato’.

11 and one could often see how J. P. held a hot potato under a boy’s nose.—To hold a potato under one’s nose, einem eine Kartoffel unter die Nase halten.

12 and (insert here dabei) wore as ragged a coat as the boy himself.

13 an dem Ehre erwiesen wird.

14 to be due, gebühren.

15 Say ‘then I see (dann sehe ich im Geiste) how all those’, etc.

16 besingen.

17 sich gleich einer Woge auseinanderteilen.

18 and — said = see, how this poor, unknown old man steps forward (hervor´treten) and passes by (an einem vorü´berschreiten) the great, noble and mighty of the land, and is received (S. 2, N. 1) with especial attention by Him (von Ihm, which place after the conj. ‘and’) who (insert da) said.

19 Say ‘What you (ihr) have done to the least (dem Geringsten) of (unter) these, that have you done to me’.