Chapter 1

The interest I have been led to take in the Ragged School movement is an example of how, in Providence, a man’s destiny—his course of life, like that of a river—may be determined and affected by very trivial circumstances. It is rather curious—at least it is interesting for me to remember—that (S. 66, N. 15) it was by a picture I was first led to take an interest in ragged schools—by a picture in an old, obscure, decaying burgh that stands on the shores of the Frith of Forth, the birth-place (S. 53, N. 9) of Thomas Chalmers. I went to see this place many years ago, and, going (S. 55, N. 1) into an inn for refreshment, I found the room covered (App. § 1) with pictures of shepherdesses with their crooks, and sailors in holiday attire, not particularly interesting. But above the chimney-piece there was a large print, more respectable than its neighbours, which represented a cobbler’s room.

+Doktor Guthrie über die Schulen für verwahrloste Kinder.—Sogenannte+ ‘Ragged Schools’ +existieren in Deutschland wohl nicht, und zwar aus dem einfachen Grunde, weil wir sie bisher nicht nötig hatten+.

This passage requires an altogether different construction. Say ‘The circumstances which led me (+welche mich dahin führten+) to interest myself for the establishment of schools for neglected children, are an example of (+davon+) how through Providence (+durch die Vorsehung+) the fate of a man (+Mensch+)—his course of life (S. 76, N. 22, B, 1) like (+gleich+, with dat.) that of a river—can be determined and affected (+beeinflußt+) by very trivial (+geringfügig+) circumstances’. For the position of the verbs read App. §§ 16-20.

‘rather’, here = not a little.

to remember, +mich daran zu erinnern+.

+zuerst.+

obscure = unknown.

‘burgh’, here +Flecken+, m.; the relat. clause ‘that — Forth’ may be elegantly rendered attributively, thus: +am Ufer des Frith of Forth belegen+, which last word inflect correctly and place before the qualified noun ‘burgh’.

+von.+

went to see = visited; place, +Ort+, m.; the adverbial clause of time is best placed at the head of the passage.

Say ‘to (= in order to) refresh myself’.

in holiday attire, +im Festanzuge+.

Insert ‘which were’.

there was = hung.

print, Holzschnitt, m.; or Kupferstich, m.

Supply ‘which was’; ‘respectable’, here = tolerable, +erträglich+.

Since we commenced the preceding clause with a relative pronoun, it need not be repeated here. Substitute the conj. ‘and’ for ‘which’; a cobbler’s room = the workshop of a cobbler.

Section 124.

DR. GUTHRIE ON RAGGED SCHOOLS.