Section 87. Dr. Johnson on⁠ Debt

Dr. Johnson held⁠ that⁠ debt is ruin. His⁠ words on the subject are weighty, and worthy of being held in remembrance. “Do not,” said⁠ he, “accustom⁠ yourself to consider debt only as⁠ an inconvenience. You⁠ will find it a calamity. Poverty takes⁠ away so many means of doing good, and⁠ produces so much inability to resist evil, that it⁠ is by⁠ all virtuous means to be avoided. Let⁠ it be your first care, then, not to be in any man’s debt. Resolve⁠ not⁠ to be poor. Whatever⁠ you have, spend less. Poverty⁠ is a great enemy to human happiness. It destroys liberty. It makes some⁠ virtues impracticable⁠ and others⁠ extremely difficult. Frugality⁠ is not only the basis of⁠ quiet, but⁠ of beneficence⁠. No⁠ man can help others that wants himself. We must have⁠ enough, before⁠ we have to spare.”—S. Smiles, Self-Help.

über das Schuldenmachen.

‘to hold’ here = to be of opinion, der Ansicht sein.

Say ‘that debt (das Schuldenmachen) leads (Pres. Subj.; Comp. App. §§ 28 and 31) to ruin’.

Say ‘What he says on (über) this subject (Gegenstand, m.) is important and worthy of our notice (Beachtung, f.)’.

Place the words ‘said he’ at the end of the whole clause.

When verbs and adjectives, governing a preposition, are used in a principal clause and are followed by a subordinate clause, either in the form of a supine (i.e. an infinitive with zu, see S. 1, N. 2) or beginning with a subordinative conjunction, the adverb da, in connection with the preposition required, is generally placed in the principal clause; as—

We will accustom ourselves to be thrifty. Wir wollen uns daran gewöhnen, sparsam zu sein.

Do not excuse yourself with having had no time. Entschuldigen Sie sich nicht damit, daß Sie keine Zeit gehabt haben.

The verb sich gewöhnen requires the prep. an. Construe accordingly, and use the 2nd pers. sing.

an inconvenience, als etwas Lästiges.

Say ‘You will find that it leads to poverty’, see S. 3, N. 2.

to take away, entzie´hen, after which supply the pron. uns (from us).

and — inability = and makes us so often incapable.

it is ... to be avoided = we must avoid it (to agree with Armut), see S. 62, N. 4.

by — means, nach besten Kräften.

Say ‘Beware therefore (sich hüten) of running into debt’. To run into debt, Schulden machen. Use the Supine according to S. 34, N. 10.

sich etwas vor´nehmen.

not — poor = not to get (geraten) into poverty.

Say ‘However little (Wie gering, after which supply the adverb auch) thy income (Einnahme, f.) may be, lay up a part of the same (so lege doch einen Teil derselben zurück)’.

Armut ist dem Glücke feind.

einzelne.

impracticable = impossible.

supply here the adverb wiederum (again).

‘frugality’ here = thrift (to be used without the art.).

of quiet, des innern Friedens.

Supply here the adverb auch, and see S. 6, N. 10.

Wohlthun, n., to be used with the gen. of the def. art.

Say ‘He who (Wer, after which supply the pron. selbst) needs (bedürfen, requires the gen. of the def. art.) help, cannot help others’.

to have enough, zur Genüge haben.

Say ‘before (ehe) we can have to spare (etwas übrig haben)’.