Section 69 Despatch of Business1
You2 must beware3 of stumbling over a propensity, which easily besets4 you from5 the habit of not having your time fully employed6. I mean7 what the women very expressively8 call dawdling9. Your motto must be “Hoc age.” Do instantly whatever10 is11 to be done, and take12 the hours of recreation after business13, and not before it14. When a regiment is15 under march, (S. 27, N. 8) the rear is16 often thrown into confusion, because the front do17 not move18 steadily19 and without interruption. It20 is the same thing with business. If21 that which is first in hand is not instantly, steadily22, and regularly despatched23, other24 things accumulate, till affairs25 begin to press all at once, and no human being can26 stand the confusion.—Sir Walter Scott, Letters to his son.
Notes
1 Schnelle Geschäftserledigung.
2 Use the 2nd pers. sing. Personal and Possessive Pronouns used in letters, and referring to the person addressed, require a capital initial in German.
3 to beware of stumbling over a propensity, sich hüten, einem Hange zu verfallen. See S. 1, N. 3, and S. 34, N. 10.
4 beschleichen.
5 from the habit, wenn Du Dich daran gewöhnst.
6 ‘to employ’, here aus´füllen.
7 Supply here the pronominal adverb damit.
8 bezeichnend.
9 Zeitvergeudung.
10 was.
11 is to be done = must be done. See S. 62, N. 4, and S. 2, N. 1.
12 choose your hours of recreation (Erholungsstunde, f.).
13 business = work, which use with the def. art.
[14] it = the same.
15 to be under march, auf dem Marsch begriffen sein.
16 to be thrown in confusion, in Unordnung geraten.
17 The verb must be in the singular after a collective noun in the singular.
18 ‘to move’, here fort´marschieren.
19 gleichmäßig.
20 Say ’And so it is likewise (auch) with business (Arbeit)’.
21 If — hand, Wenn die gerade vorliegende Arbeit.
22 stetig.
23 erledigen.
24 other — accumulate, so häufen sich inzwischen andere Sachen an.
25 die Arbeiten, after which place the words ‘all at once’, alle auf einmal. For the place of the verbs see App. § 19.
26 can — confusion, der Verwirrung gewachsen ist.