Introduction
In 1831, the House of Lords rejected a Bill on the reform of Parliament, sent over from the House of Commons. Sydney Smith was strongly in favour of this Bill, but told a political meeting in Taunton that he was not too worried, as the Lords had set themselves a task even harder than Mrs Partington set herself in 1824. Mrs Partington? Let the Revd Mr Smith explain...
I do not mean to be disrespectful, but the attempt of the lords to stop the progress of reform,* reminds me very forcibly of the great storm of Sidmouth, and of the conduct of the excellent Mrs Partington on that occasion. In the winter of 1824, there set in a great flood upon that town — the tide rose to an incredible height — the waves rushed in upon the houses, and every thing was threatened with destruction. In the midst of this sublime and terrible storm, Dame Partington,* who lived upon the beach, was seen at the door of her house with mop and pattens,* trundling her mop, squeezing out the sea-water, and vigorously pushing away the Atlantic Ocean. The Atlantic was roused. Mrs Partington’s spirit was up; but I need not tell you that the contest was unequal. The Atlantic Ocean beat Mrs Partington. She was excellent at a slop, or a puddle, but she should not have meddled with a tempest. Gentlemen, be at your ease — be quiet and steady. You will beat Mrs Partington.*
From the ‘Taunton Courier’ of October 12th, 1831, reprinted in ‘Anecdote Lives of Wits and Humourists’ by John Timbs (1801-1875).
* See The Reform Acts. The Industrial Revolution had transformed the demographics of Britain, with a steady migration of working people from the countryside to factories in the cities. The distribution of Parliamentary seats in the House of Commons had not kept up with the pace of change, and so urgent had the problem become that even the MPs were ready for reform. Smith, though not an MP, was wholeheartedly in favour.
* Dame in this context is a courtesy title, suggesting a worthy woman of riper years (as in the term ‘a dame school’) not an indication of aristocracy.
* Pattens are a kind of shoe designed for walking in wet or muddy conditions, with a raised sole, or set up on an open metal ring like miniature stilts. See a picture of some British pattens, ca. 1830-50 at Wikimedia Commons.
* Smith’s image of Mrs Partington teaching the Atlantic Ocean some manners was an instant hit. In 1835, just four years later, American humorist B. P. Shillaber published the entirely fictitious Life and Sayings of Mrs Partington, which made her into another Mrs Malaprop. See also Henry Huntingdon’s account of the famous occasion when King Cnut felt he had to prove to his ministers that there are limits to the power of government, in Turning the Tide.
Questions for Critics
1. What is the author aiming to achieve in writing this?
2. Note any words, devices or turns of phrase that strike you. How do they help the author communicate his ideas more effectively?
3. What impression does this passage make on you? How might you put that impression into words?
Based on The English Critic (1939) by NL Clay, drawing on The New Criticism: A Lecture Delivered at Columbia University, March 9, 1910, by J. E. Spingarn, Professor of Comparative Literature in Columbia University, USA.
Précis
In 1831, the House of Lords blocked a Parliamentary reform Bill passed in the Commons. Sydney Smith comforted a public meeting in Taunton with the tale of Mrs Partington, of Sidmouth, who tried to prevent her beachfront home from being flooded using only a mop. The Atlantic Ocean won, he said, and so eventually would the Commons. (57 / 60 words)
In 1831, the House of Lords blocked a Parliamentary reform Bill passed in the Commons. Sydney Smith comforted a public meeting in Taunton with the tale of Mrs Partington, of Sidmouth, who tried to prevent her beachfront home from being flooded using only a mop. The Atlantic Ocean won, he said, and so eventually would the Commons.
Variations: 1.increase the length of this precis to exactly 60 words. 2.reduce the length of this precis to exactly 50 words. 3.introduce one of the following words into the precis: despite, if, just, not, or, unless, until, whether.
About the Author
Sydney Smith (1771-1845) was a distinguished clergyman (popular among parishioners and admired for his preaching, though impatient of theological controversies) and a prolific writer on politics and social morals. An early champion of modern ideas of liberty, Smith stood for religious toleration, Parliamentary reform and a low-tax, free-trade economy; he also made outspoken attacks on the slave trade, and on Westminster’s oppressive policy in Ireland. His early career found him tutoring in Edinburgh, where he fell in with Walter Scott and the circle of friends who later maintained The Edinburgh Review. After some years as a farmer and clergyman in Yorkshire, Smith moved to Somerset and finally to St Paul’s Cathedral in 1831. He married Catharine Amelia Pybus in 1800, and they had two children.
Archive
Word Games
Sevens Based on this passage
Suggest answers to this question. See if you can limit one answer to exactly seven words.
Variations: 1.expand your answer to exactly fourteen words. 2.expand your answer further, to exactly twenty-one words. 3.include one of the following words in your answer: if, but, despite, because, (al)though, unless.
Spinners Find in Think and Speak
For each group of words, compose a sentence that uses all three. You can use any form of the word: for example, cat → cats, go → went, or quick → quickly, though neigh → neighbour is stretching it a bit.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1 Ease. Every. Occasion.
2 Out. Push. Thing.
3 Do. Threaten. Town.
Variations: 1. include direct and indirect speech 2. include one or more of these words: although, because, despite, either/or, if, unless, until, when, whether, which, who 3. use negatives (not, isn’t, neither/nor, never, nobody etc.)
Homophones Find in Think and Speak
In each group below, you will find words that sound the same, but differ in spelling and also in meaning. Compose your own sentences to bring out the differences between them.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
Add Vowels Find in Think and Speak
Make words by adding vowels to each group of consonants below. You may add as many vowels as you like before, between or after the consonants, but you may not add any consonants or change the order of those you have been given. See if you can beat our target of common words.
crk (5)
cork. creak. creek. croak. crook.
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Grok : Ask Grok
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