Another German sentence

[edmont]

The meaning of the German in bold is what I'm most uncertain about.

Den aufmerksam zuhörenden Molt berührte besonders die Mahnung, "daß ein jeder das Auge offenhalten soll und mit wachem Bewußtsein die Ereignisse, die da geschehen, wenigstens verfolgen soll", denn "...keiner von uns kann wissen, wann er vielleicht im kleineren oder größeren Maßstabe aufgerufen wird, dies oder jenes mitzuberaten, mitzubeeinflussen, zu dem er eben dann ein offenes, vorurteilsloses Wissen über die Ereignisse braucht.

The attentively listening Molt was affected especially by the admonition "that everyone should keep the eyes open and, with wakeful consciousness, at least follow the events that happen there." For, "none of us can know, when perhaps on a small or large scale he will be called upon, this person or that person to consult with, to influence, for which just then an open, unprejudiced knowledge of the events is needed.

Thanks.

[Duckduck]

The meaning of the German in bold is what I'm most uncertain about. Hi edmont!

Den aufmerksam zuhörenden Molt berührte besonders die Mahnung, "daß ein jeder das Auge offenhalten soll und mit wachem Bewußtsein die Ereignisse, die da geschehen, wenigstens verfolgen soll", denn "...keiner von uns kann wissen, wann er vielleicht im kleineren oder größeren Maßstabe aufgerufen wird, dies oder jenes mitzuberaten, mitzubeeinflussen, zu dem er eben dann ein offenes, vorurteilsloses Wissen über die Ereignisse braucht.

The attentively listening Molt was affected especially by the admonition "that everyone should keep the eyes open and, with wakeful consciousness, at least follow the events that happen there." For, "none of us can know, when perhaps on a small or large scale he will be called upon to discuss this or that, to wield influence / to take part in discussing this or that, in wielding influence for which just then an open, unprejudiced knowledge of the events is needed.

Thanks.

The second suggestion sounds a little awkward but includes the "mitzuberaten" and "mitzubeinflussen".
Duckduck

[edmont]

hi duckduck!

Thank you. 

Your impressions help me know I am not completely off track -- I guessed that mitzuberaten meant something like "to consult with"-- which perhaps is similar to "to take part in discussing" --

mitzubeeinflussen you have as "to wield influence" -- which perhaps is fairly similar to "to influence." (The dictionaries I consulted don't have mitbeeinflussen or mitzubeeinflussen.)

The thing I'm still unclear about is,

-- could "dies or jenes" not refer to persons?  If you could say how you know it means "this or that", not "this one or that one," that would be incredibly helpful (which you have already been!).

Thanks again.

[tiorthan]

-- could "dies or jenes" not refer to persons?

No. For people this would have to be "diesen oder jenen" or "diese oder jene". The latter is used when it is known to refer to females the former is in a form called male gender, but it is actually a gender neutral personal form.

[edmont]

tiorthan, thank you.