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The Up-To-Date Primer:
A First Book of Lessons for Little Political Economists
In Words of One Syllable,
With Pictures

By J. W. Bengough
(Reproduced from the Original)
25c

("Bengough's Primer")

The Alphabet and Prefatory Remarks

All
Boasted
Charitable
Doles
Ever
Futile
God
Hates
Injustice
Justice
Knows
Land
May
Not be
Owned
Poverty
Quickly
Remedied
by Single
Tax
Upon
Value
Work-value
Excepted
Yours
Zealously
The Author

Lessons 1-12 | Lessons 13-24 | Lessons 25-36 | Lessons 37-48 | Lessons 49-60 | Lessons 61-70

Table of Contents
LESSON I Cat — Rat — Men
Hog — Hat — Box
seeing the cat, rent, unemployment, monopoly, landlord, commons, public expenditure
LESSON II. This is my pet cat unemployment, landlord, rent, land monopoly, seeing the cat, single tax, privilege
LESSON III. Pike Owns Stream
Perch Must Pay
Or Get Out
ownership, privilege, air-land-water, justice, land includes, land different from capital
LESSON IV Crow Owns Air
Jay Must Work
Keep Crow Fat
slavery, air-land-water, privilege
LESSON V Rose In Pot
Will Not Live
Imp Owns Light
natural resources, ownership, rent, first
LESSON VI Poor Slave Bows
Man Owns Him
Holds The Whip
slavery, ownership, freedom, equality, hunger
LESSON VII This Not Slave
Oh Dear No
Man Owns Land
landlord, slavery, sharecropping, freedom, ownership, land, land monopoly, land monopoly capitalism, created equal, first
LESSON VIII Man Lost Right
Fruits Of Toil
Life And Land
land, war, slavery, wage slavery, fruits of one's labors, land monopoly, land monopoly capitalism, first, founding fathers, God's eldest sons
LESSON IX God Made Men
Each Owns Self
Hence May Work
right to life, freedom, created equal, oneself, purpose of living, human desires, equal opportunity, birthright, natural opportunities
LESSON X Men Are Free
And Also E-qual
Right To Chance
freedom, equality, equal opportunity, land, land includes, land excludes, land different from capital, single tax, justice, liberty, birthright, natural opportunities
LESSON XI Work Makes Wealth
Man Gets Fat
Though Don't Toil
labor, wealth, fruits of one's labors, ownership, rent, all benefits... , in one's sleep, land different from capital, theft
LESSON XII Man Owns Hat
Can Make Same
Can't Make Land
land different from capital, he who produces, property rights, ownership
LESSON XIII May Own Sheep
They Are Bred
Not Like Land
land different from capital, ownership,
LESSON XIV World Grows Full
Goods Price Falls
Land Gets High
trade, population, technological progress, capitalization, land price, lowering the price of land, sales taxes
LESSON XV Man May Own
Earth But Must
Pay Land Rent
justice, title, ownership, rent, intergenerational justice, single tax, created equal, assessment, improvements
LESSON XVI Land Rent Springs
By God's Law
Out Of Ground
rent as God's provisioning for all, community, public spending, land value, urban land value relative to rural,
LESSON XVII Wage For Work
Gold For Rent
No More Sweat
labor, wages, landlord, ownership, all benefits..., in one's sleep, speculation, inequality, privatization
LESSON XVIII One Tax Plan
Now In Use
For House Rent
single tax, rent, canons of taxation, user fees, congestion
LESSON XIX Why Not State
Have This Plan
For The Land
canons of taxation, tariffs
LESSON XX Milk Keeps Just
Rent For State
Same Calf Law
rent as God's provisioning for all, intelligent design, rent,
LESSON XXI Goat Owns Cow
Takes The Milk
Like Land Lords
theft, privatization, ownership, privilege, sales taxes
LESSON XXII Toil Digs Pick
Must Have Land
Thus Makes Wealth
labor, land, wealth
LESSON XXIII Man Brings Oxen
Thus Helps Toil
His Good Friend
labor, capital, technological progress, savings, interest, factors of production
LESSON XXIV Toil And Friend
Now Quite Mad
Worm Eats Fruit
labor, capital, wages, interest, fruits of one's labor, he who produces, land, land monopoly, ownership, in one's sleep, all benefits...
LESSON XXV Coats For Boots
Fair Square Trade
Both Make Gain
he who produces, labor, trade,
LESSON XXVI Land Lord Gets
Coats And Boots
But Gives Nought
trade, land, rent, theft, injustice, unearned increment, deadweight loss, landlord
LESSON XXVII Man Owns Spring
Folks Want Drink
Have To Pay
air-land-water, ownership, justice, rent, theft, foresight, enclosure, privatization
LESSON XXVIII Want The Earth
You May Own
It By Law
ownership, rent, land includes, land excludes, land different from capital, slavery, freedom, liberty, justice
LESSON XXIX God Made Land
Man Must Use
Not For Spec.
labor, speculation, ownership, possession, usufruct, dog in the manger, incentive taxation, underused land, hole in the ground, highest and best use
LESSON XXX Not The Land
But Its Worth
Would We Tax
land value, land price, ownership, urban land value relative to rural, land value taxation, location, location, location
LESSON XXXI How Would Plan
Of One Tax
Help Farm Man
lvt and agriculture, urban land value relative to rural, untaxing buildings, trade
LESSON XXXII Help Toil Much
And His Friend
Squelch Land Lord
landlord, labor, capital, untaxing capital, untaxing labor
LESSON XXXIII Three In One
This Tax Plan
Would Help Two
labor, capital, land, fruits of one's labor, theft, property rights, private property, rentier
LESSON XXXIV Cop With Club
Steals For State
Tax On Goods
theft, justice, he who produces, landlord
LESSON XXXV Load Poor Toil
Make Up Fund
Land Lord Takes
sales taxes, trade, special interests, privatization, theft, commons, rent as provisioning for all, wealth concentration, ownership
LESSON XXXVI State High Wall
Keeps Out Goods
Lets In Men
tariff, trade, wages, prices
LESSON XXXVII Pools And Trusts
Their Long Heads
Dupes Get Left
monopoly, privilege, tariff, wages, prices
LESSON XXXVIII Too Much Goods
Such Bad Fix
Yet Folks Starve
monopoly, tariff, free trade, hunger, famine
LESSON XXXIX Soup Is Good
But We Want
Right To Work
poverty, charity, justice, philanthropy, unemployment, Alabama
LESSON XL Pull Down Wall
So Far Good
Make Rents High
charity, justice, trade, immigration, population increase, all benefits ...
LESSON XLI John Bull Wall
Long Torn Down
Yet Has Poor
poverty, land, land concentration, wealth concentration
LESSON XLII John And Sam
Both Have Poor
In Same Boat
landlord, poverty, justice, land monopoly, land monopoly capitalism, wealth concentration, poverty's causes
LESSON XLIII Sam Cute Chap
John Hard Head
Both Mere Dupes
ownership, landlord, injustice, land monopoly, wealth concentration, single tax
LESSON XLIV Fat Man Rich
Owns Things Which
State Should Hold
privilege, poverty, unearned increment, rent, ownership, possession, land different from capital, tariffs, is this socialism?
LESSON XLV Cows Must Starve
Near To Grass
Barb Wire Fence
hunger, enclosure, commons, famine, land, rent, charity, privatization
LESSON XLVI Rod Strike Rock
Drink For All
Man Owns Land
manna, title, privatization, air-land-water, theft, land as God's provisioning for all
LESSON XLVII Men Want Work
Land Needs Plow
No More Alms
single tax, ending poverty, charity, marginal land, Robinson Crusoe
LESSON XLVIII Work The Thing
Steam All Wrong
Wild Men Wise
technological progress, capital, civilization
LESSON XLIX Wealth Not Work
What Men Want
Steam Good Thing
labor, capital, land, landlord, technological progress, wealth, human desires, law of wages, law of rent, fruits
LESSON L Lots Of Room
Yet Too Small
For The Crowd
ownership, speculation, going ahead, landlord, land monopoly, land monopoly capitalism
LESSON LI Same Old Song
Through The World
Land Lord Cause
land concentration, single tax, canons of taxation, incentive taxation, perverse incentives, he who produces, paying twice, privilege
LESSON LII If All Men
Own The Earth
Hand Shares Round
equality, birthright, created equal
LESSON LIII Men Own Horse
But Don't Say
Share Beast Round
equality, land value taxation, pay for what you take, single tax, created equal, equal opportunity
LESSON LIV One Tax Plan
Plain Slick Just
Work Like Charm
single tax, untaxing buildings, untaxing wages, canons of taxation, privacy
LESSON LV Land Rent Comes
Free And Full
Tax Nought Else
single tax, rent as provisioning for community, equity for the landless, population growth, population as problem, overpopulation
LESSON LVI Why Tax Toil
When Land Rent
Pays All Costs
well provisioned ship, population, rent as God's provisioning, privatization,
LESSON LVII Fat Rich Men
Get Their Wealth
Through Bad Laws
privatization, ownership, enclosure, theft, commons, freedom, liberty, equality
LESSON LVIII Kick And Howl
Laws Made Right
Stop Their Game
privilege, special interests, single tax, created equal, labor, wealth concentration, land concentration, theft, injustice, justice, justice changing
LESSON LIX Would Soon Stop
Coal King's Scheme
Make Fuel Cheap
natural resources, monopoly, land monopoly, incentive taxation, speculation, theft
LESSON LX Not Take Land
But Just Rent
That Is All
ownership, theft, privatization, labor, land, single tax, incentives, incentive taxation, speculation, underused land
LESSON LXI Plain Good Man
Does Not Know
Wastes His Tears
labor, single tax, urban land value relative to rural, untaxing buildings, perverse incentives
LESSON LXII Stop Drink Curse
Lay Down Arms
Make Things Worse
peace, desperado, enclosure, purpose of living, justice
LESSON LXIII Land Lord Stays
Still On Top
Can't Down Him
landlord, all benefits..., population growth, land value, urban land value relative to rural, in one's sleep, barriers to entry
LESSON LXIV Fine Bright Town
Free Street Cars
Land Rents Rise
public spending, population increase, all benefits..., in one's sleep, theft, unearned increment, deadweight loss
LESSON LXV Squid Eats Men
One Tax Plan
Spear That Kills
single tax, justice, equality
LESSON LXVI With Bad Laws
Greed Won't Let
Gold Rule Work
golden rule, poverty, justice
LESSON LXVII Take First Step
Make Land Free
Then Go On
is this socialism? land different from capital
LESSON LXVIII How One Tax
Plan Would Work
Made Quite Plain
single tax, title, ownership, possession, usufruct, land value, land value taxation, public spending, infrastructure
LESSON LXIX Hard On Chap
Who Holds Land
Just For Spec.
compensation, single tax, landlord, slavery, speculation
LESSON LXX See The Cat
Now Go Forth
And Spread Light
seeing the cat, single tax, freedom
FINIS    
RESTITUTION earth is the Lord's, title, poverty, land as God's provisioning for all, well-provisioned ship, created equal, natural opportunities, equal opportunity, ownership, slavery, theft, thou shalt not steal

The Robert Schalkenbach Foundation reprinted this in 1936. You might find the material inside the covers of interest ...

Pamphlets:
Causes of Business Depressions, by Henry George
The Causes of unemployment and depression analyzed .... 12 pages
1c the copy -- 100 for $1.00

The Single Tax: What It Is and Why We Urge It. by Henry George. 16 pages
2c the copy -- 100 for $1.00

Moses -- by Henry George . An eloquent lecture emphasizing the democracy of the Mosaic code. 32 pages.
5c the copy -- 50 for $1.00

Steps to Economic Recovery. A radio address by Dr. John Dewey of Columbia University. Also contains "What Prominent Men and Women Have Said of Henry George."
2c the copy -- 50 for $1.00

Hat Trees of Ireland. A Satire on Protectionism
2c the copy -- 100 for $1.00

One Hundred Years of Land Gambling. A review of Homer Hoyt's impressive study of Chicago land values, by Charles O'Connor Hennessey. 8 pages.
5c the copy -- 50 for $1.00
The Great Land Racket -- An Essay by Paul Blanshard on "Gambling in Land Values in U.S.A."
1c the copy -- 100 for $1.00

Smaller Booklets and Pamphlets

Addresses at the Funeral of Henry George
Brief story of the passing of Henry George -- Addresses by Rev. Lyman Abbott, Rabbi Gottheil, Dr. Edward McGlynn and John Sherwin Crosby. Touching, affecting, inspiring. Paper covers.
25c postpaid -- Five for $1.00

The Story of My Dictatorship
A New State, based neither on Communism or Fascism. Attractive, red paper covers, imported.
30c -- Four for $1.00

The New Political Economy by John B. Sharpe --
Short discussion of rent and the problems of labor.
5c the copy -- 5 copies for 25c, 25 for $1.00

Just Off the Press:
Smaller Profits, Reduced Salaries, Lower Wages -- by George L. Rusby.
A vest-pocket booklet containing an admirable exposition of the Single Tax. Weight and size permit it to mail for single postage rate in spite of its 64 pages. IDeal for use in popularizing George's definition of terms.
5c Single Copies
10 to 50 Copies, 4c each
100 Copies 3c plus postage

(A "Teachers Manual" -- $1.00 -- has been prepared by the Henry George School, 211 West 79th Street, New York, for use in leading a class through "Progress and Poverty." For information about the manual, address the School.)

Lessons 1-12 | Lessons 13-24 | Lessons 25-36 | Lessons 37-48 | Lessons 49-60 | Lessons 61-70

Another edition was published by The Joseph Fels Fund of America, Cincinnati, Ohio in 1913.

Also on the WealthandWant Website: Bengough's On True Political Economy: The Whole-Hog Book (1908)also told in words of one syllable

About JW Bengough: [source: http://www.library.ubc.ca/edlib/egoffbib/1896.html]

BENGOUGH, John Wilson, 1851-1923.

THE/UP-TO-DATE/ [pict. ornament] /PRIMER:/A/FIRST BOOK OF LESSONS/FOR/LITTLE POLITICAL ECONOMISTS,/IN WORDS OF ONE SYLLABLE/WITH PICTURES/BY/J.W. BENGOUGH/Designed for use in Schools, Colleges, Universities and other/Seats of Learning/NEW YORK/FUNK & WAGNALLS COMPANY/LONDON AND TORONTO/1896/ [lines 1-7 in ornamental lettering].
Half-title. c. 1895 Funk & Wagnalls Co. 1-75 pp. 182x124 mm. Text illus.
Light brown stiff wrappers. Front bears title, sub-title, pict. ornament & author within a dbl. border; back bears humorous, fictitious comments within a dbl. border.
F.f.l. n.p. 1895 (NUC).

Bengough was a cartoonist and a poet, born at Toronto, Ontario. In 1873 he founded Grip, a humorous weekly published in Toronto, and his cartoons in this journal gained a wide audience. Later he became a cartoonist with the Montreal Star and then with the Toronto Globe. He was an advocate of the single tax, prohibition and free trade. (Macmillan). Most of his political ideas are contained in his Up-to-date primer. The following is an extract from Lesson XI: 'But look at these Two! Are they not both Men? They are. Yet one is Fat and Rich, and one is Lean and Poor! How comes this? It must be that the Fat one has a will to Work, and so by his Toil on the Land gets all the Good Things he needs, while the Lean one will not Work and so must needs Starve and go in Rags. So it would seem, my Child; but things are not as they seem.'

See also: http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0254/is_n4_v52/ai_14558024/print

 

 

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