German composition

Section 78 Stand Up⁠ for Whatever Is True, Manly, and Lovely⁠. I.12

In⁠3 no place in the world has individual character more⁠4 weight than at a public school. Remember⁠5 this, I beseech⁠6 you, all you boys who⁠7 are getting into the upper forms. Now⁠8 is the time when you may⁠9 have more⁠10 influence for good or evil in the society you live in than you ever can have⁠11 again. Quit⁠12 yourselves like men, then; speak out⁠13 and stand up for whatever is true, manly, and lovely. Never (S. 68, N. 2) try to be popular⁠13, but only do your duty, and help⁠14 others to do theirs; and when you leave the school (S. 27, N. 8), the⁠15 tone of feeling in it will be higher than you found it, and so you⁠16 will do good to⁠17 generations of your countrymen yet unborn. For boys follow one another in herds like sheep, for⁠18 good or evil; they⁠19 hate thinking, and⁠20 have rarely any settled⁠21 principles.

Notes

1 Use the 2nd pers. pl.; whatever = all that; see S. 3, N. 7.

2 schön.

3 In no place = Nowhere.

4 more weight = greater influence.

5 Remember this = Think (2nd pers. pl.) of it; see S. 4, N. 5, B.

6 bitten.

7 Der (m. sing.), die (f. sing.), and die (pl.) must be used as relative pronouns in reference to a personal pronoun of the first or second person of either number, and also in reference to the personal pronoun of the third person plural (Sie) used instead of the second person plural. For the sake of emphasis the personal pronoun is frequently repeated after the relative pronoun, and the verb must then agree with the personal pronoun, as the following examples will show.
Verschmähst du mich, die ich deine Freundin bin? Dost thou disdain me, who am your friend?
Ich, der ich dich von deinen Feinden befreite. I, who delivered thee from thy enemies.
Construe the clauses ‘who — forms’ accordingly; to get into the upper forms, in die obern Klassen versetzt werden.

8 Say ‘The time has [is] come’; when, wo.

9 may have = exercise (aus´üben) likely.

10 Say ‘more good or evil influence upon (auf) the company surrounding you (Eure Umgebung)’.

11 have = exercise.

12 Say ‘Be therefore manly’.

13 ‘to speak out’, here gerade und frei heraus´sprechen; ‘to be popular’, here sich beliebt machen.

14 When the following verbs are used in connection with another verb governed by them, that verb stands in the Infinitive without the preposition zu (Comp. S. 34, N. 10):
A. The auxiliary verbs of mood: dürfen, können, mögen, müssen, sollen, wollen, and lassen. (see Expl. 1.)
B. The verbs: bleiben, fahren, gehen, finden, fühlen, heißen (to bid, to command), helfen, hören, lehren (also with zu, Comp. S. 43, N. 10), lernen, machen, sehen, and reiten. (See Expl. 2.)
C. The verb haben in phrases like Expl. 3.
D. The verb thun followed by nichts. (See Expl. 4.)
Examples.
1. Ich mag gern schreiben. I am very fond of writing; I like to write.
2. Der Diener fand seinen Herrn tot am Boden liegen. The servant found his master lying dead on the floor.
3. Er hat gut reden. It is all very well for him to talk.
4. Er thut nichts als essen und trinken. He does nothing but eat and drink.

15 the — higher = the moral tone of the same (gen.) will be a higher one (S. 67, N. 3).

16 Supply here the adverb noch.

17 an; remember that the p. p. ‘unborn’ is used as an adj. and qualifies the noun ‘generations’.

18 Say ‘as well in evil as in good’.

19 das Denken ist ihnen unbequem.

20 Supply here the pron. ‘they’.

21 fest bestimmt.