German composition

Section 67 Tender, Trusty, and True. — VII

Now⁠1 this was the sort of boy Channing was; and I was going⁠2 to tell you that (S. 66, N. 15) one day he heard of a big boy beating (S. 16, N. 4) a little one⁠3, like that bad boy⁠4 under my window. Channing was a little boy; he was a little man when he was full grown⁠5; but then he had a big soul. I was going⁠2 to say he had a soul as big as a church; but indeed⁠6 his soul was bigger than all the churches in⁠7 the world;—and when he heard of that⁠8 cruel boy, who was ever⁠9 so much larger than himself, he went right up to him, and said: “Did⁠10 you strike that little boy?” “Yes, I did⁠11; and what then?”—“Then,” said Channing, “you are a coward, because he was no match for you; and now I am going⁠2 to whip⁠12 you for doing it.” Because he had a big soul, and though he was a small boy, he⁠13 went in, and fought for the right. That was the only time he⁠14 ever fought in his life. But⁠15 I, standing in⁠16 this pulpit, honour him more for it than if he had (App. § 36) never⁠17 fought at all.

Notes

1 Say ‘This was (supply here the adv. also = now) little Channing’s character’. Comp. S. 12, N. 2.

2 The auxiliary verb of mood ‘wollen’ corresponds to the English ‘to be going’ or ‘to be on the point’, followed by the infinitive of another verb. Comp. S. 6, N. 4.

3 ‘One’ following an adjective or a pronoun, and representing a noun understood, is not to be translated; as—Which pen shall I give you,—this one or that one? Welche Feder soll ich Ihnen geben,—diese oder jene?

4 der böse Bube.

5 full grown, ausgewachsen.

6 in der That, which place after the verb.

7 Render ‘in the’ by the gen. of the def. art.

[8] Use the dat. of the demonstr. pron. der; ‘boy’, here Bube.

9 ever so much, ich weiß nicht wie viel.

10 Use the Perfect according to S. 48, N. 2.

11 I did, das habe ich gethan.

12 züchtigen.

13 ‘to go in’, here in den Kampf treten.

14 he — life, in seinem Leben, daß er sich schlug.

15 Place the conj. ‘but’ after the subject, and, for the sake of emphasis, repeat the pron. ‘I’ after the rel. pron. ‘der’, which must introduce the next clause.

16 ‘in’, here auf.

17 never... at all, nie.