MDDM Washington

[jbor]

tithable 2. (of property etc) subject to the payment of tithes

tithe 2. any levy, especially of one tenth

Washington's use of this term, highlighting the fact that he has to pay a
tax for the privilege of Gershom's company and tomfoolery, is equally a
criticism of the system of slavery.

best

p.s. I'm aware of W.C. Fields' verbal mannerisms, of course. I just didn't
see a connection between GW and Fields as "child-hating drunkard". Still
don't, actually.


on 26/6/02 1:34 AM, Doug Millison at millison at online-journalist.com wrote:

> A distinction, yes, but in the religious sense of the word that seems to be
> in play here, a person pays a tithe on income, produce, or property; people
> owned as property are generally referred to as slaves (in the situation
> here, slave-owning Washington and his Tithable, Gershom), or, sometimes,
> chattel. Most important, I think, desgignating a person as property is
> dehumanizing.