German composition

Section 135. THE GOSPEL OF WORK. II.

Reading edition

The monks in olden times found it so⁠[1]. When (S. 18, N. 6) they shut⁠[2] themselves up from the world to worship God in⁠[3] prayers and hymns, they found that [here follows the subject “they”], without working⁠[4], without⁠[5] hard work either of head or of hands, they could not⁠[6] even be good men (S. 134, N. 9). The⁠[7] devil came and⁠[8] tempted them, they said, as often as they were⁠[9] idle. An idle monk’s soul was lost, they used (S. 129, N. 6) to say, and they spoke truly. Though they gave⁠[10] up a large portion of⁠[11] every day, and of every night also, to⁠[12] prayer and worship, (S. 27, N. 8) yet⁠[13] they found [that] they could not pray aright without work.

And “working (S. 11, N. 7) is praying,” said one of the holiest of them that⁠[14] ever lived; and he spoke truth (S. 3, N. 2); if⁠[15] a man will but do his work for the sake of duty, which is for the sake of God.—Charles Kingsley.

Notes in this chapter

Note 2 · Use the gen. of the def. art. The definite article is always required before nouns representing the whole of a given class, and before abstr Note 7 · To render ‘falling’, form a noun of the verb ‘fallen’. The German language makes frequent use of the Infinitive Present of verbs to form abs Note 6 · The conjunction ‘when’, used in the sense of ‘whenever’, and referring to indefinite time, must be rendered by ‘wenn’ (compare S. 4, N. 2); Note 8 · When a subordinate clause, beginning with one of the conjunctions da, obgleich, weil, and wenn, precedes a principal clause, which is often Note 6 · used to place, zu legen pflegte. ‘To use’, when employed transitively, is generally rendered by brauchen, gebrauchen, benutzen, an´wenden, a Note 9 · ‘Man’ is here used in the signification of ‘human being’, when it is generally rendered by ‘der Mensch’.Note 1 · Turn ‘it so’ by ‘das’, which place at the head of the sentence, using the inverted construction and inserting the adv. ‘auch’ after the verb Note 2 · to shut oneself up, sich ab´schließen, sep. comp. str. v. refl.Note 3 · durch; to worship, verehren.Note 4 · working = work.Note 5 · ohne angestrengte Kopf- oder Handarbeit.Note 6 · not even, nicht einmal.Note 7 · The words ‘They said’ are best placed at the head of this passage. To translate the verbs correctly, you must carefully read App. §§ 28 and Note 8 · and tempted them = in order to tempt them.Note 9 · [1] Turn ‘it so’ by ‘das’, which place at the head of the sentence, using the inverted construction and inserting the adv. ‘auch’ after the Note 10 · ‘to give up’, here = to devote, widmen, with dat.Note 11 · of — also = of the day and of the night.Note 12 · dem Gebet und den Andachtsübungen.Note 13 · yet, doch, to be placed after the subject.Note 14 · who ever (je) has lived. How must the verbs be placed?Note 15 · Begin a new period here, and say: ‘When a man (S. 134, N. 9) does his work for the sake of (um ... willen, which governs the Gen.) his duty,