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Introduction
In 1820, Sydney Smith interrupted his review of a recent book on the US economy to reflect on the price of military adventure. America had clashed with Britain in the War of 1812, and some in Washington were eager to renew hostilities against their old colonial master. Smith urged ‘brother Jonathan’ (the ordinary American, counterpart to John Bull) to think hard about what it would mean.
WE can inform Jonathan* what are the inevitable consequences of being too fond of glory* — Taxes upon every article which enters into the mouth, or covers the back, or is placed under the foot — taxes upon every thing which it is pleasant to see, hear, feel, smell, or taste — taxes upon warmth, light, and locomotion — taxes on every thing on earth, and the waters under the earth — on every thing that comes from abroad, or is grown at home — taxes on the raw material — taxes on every fresh value that is added to it by the industry of man — taxes on the sauce which pampers man’s appetite, and the drug that restores him to health — on the ermine which decorates the judge, and the rope which hangs the criminal — on the poor man’s salt, and the rich man’s spice — on the brass nails of the coffin, and the ribands of the bride — at bed or board, couchant or levant,* we must pay.*
* The name ‘brother Jonathan’ became a popular term for New Englanders during the American Revolutionary War, apparently drawn from 2 Samuel 1:26, where David laments the death of Saul’s son Jonathan saying: “I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan: very pleasant hast thou been unto me: thy love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women” — the idea was that Great Britain is another King David, who in losing America has lost something dear beyond price. ‘Brother Jonathan’ was then applied to all Americans. Uncle Sam, apparently derived from the initials U.S., was in recorded use by 1810, but tends to refer more to the Government than the people; from the 1860s cartoonists nevertheless clothed him the striped trousers, blue jacket and tall hat of Brother Jonathan. Older than both is Columbia, derived from the name of explorer Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), a female personification that goes back to the 1730s and referred originally to the Thirteen Colonies established by Great Britain.
* Like Smith, four-times Prime Minister William Gladstone (1809-1898) traced excessive taxation to Government’s vainglorious military interventions around the globe: see The Din of Diplomacy.
* Heraldic terms respectively meaning ‘lying down’ and ‘rising up’. In this case ‘levant’ is pronounced /ˈlɛvənt/, like ‘leaven’ with a ‘t’ at the end. When used to speak of the countries of the eastern Mediterranean, Levant is capitalised and pronounced /lɪˈvant/, to rhyme with ‘decant’.
* Prime Minister William Pitt (in office 1783-1801, 1804-1806) had recently introduced taxes on hats (1784), wig powder (1795) and timepieces (1797). Smith refers here also to windows (taxed from 1696 to 1851) and glass (1746-1845). A tax on hearths had been abolished in 1688, but there were heavy and sometimes frivolous duties on coal: see The Richmond Shilling. Other levies included playing cards (1710-1960), patterned wallpaper (1712-1836) and soap (1712-1838). In most cases, spending habits changed, small businesses closed (big ones often benefited) and the revenue dwindled. Income Tax, introduced in 1798 to pay for the defence against France, is not mentioned because it had been abolished in 1816 and would not be reintroduced until 1842.
Précis
In 1820, Sydney Smith broke off from a book review to warn Americans not to set too much store by military glory. To pay for their bellicose adventures, politicians taxed food, clothing and countless other items, whether imported or home-produced, from wedding-day to funeral-day, all to recover their spent treasure from the ordinary citizen. (54 / 60 words)
In 1820, Sydney Smith broke off from a book review to warn Americans not to set too much store by military glory. To pay for their bellicose adventures, politicians taxed food, clothing and countless other items, whether imported or home-produced, from wedding-day to funeral-day, all to recover their spent treasure from the ordinary citizen.
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: about, although, because, besides, may, must, ought, unless.
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