The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1876-01-01 00:00:00

A SCOTCH "SPELLING BEI.
(From the Glasgow Herald.)

The popularity of the "spelling bee" has carried it
quickly "over the Border," where some little novelty
has been introduced into its method of conduct. At a
bazaar, held in the City Hall Saloon nf Wishaw, in
connection with the Reformed Presbyterian Church,
after prayer by the Rev. Mr. Kerr. a minister of
Greenock. Mr. James Campbell, of Tillichewan, by
whom the bazaar was opened, expressed a hope that it
would help to lessen the debt on the church. In the
evening, the buzzing of the "spelling bee" again threw
the bazaar into a good-humoured flutter. The novelty of
the performance had not yet worn away; and while
the attendance, doubtless from the extreme incle-
mency of the weather, was not so large as on the pre-
vious night, a good deal of interest was manifested,
and considerable amusement created. A commendable
feature in the "spelling bee" performance is the
fact that the prize can only be won by merit; for
though a bold hazard may in a rare instance bring
a " bee " doubtful of the spelling of a particular
word off victorious, guesswork can have little chance
where the winner must hold out to the end. The
" victims " (as the competitors were called) were
seated in front of the platform on three or four forms,
and for the most part they looked as if they felt the
seriousness of their situation. To be laughed at if
they failed was no ordinary punishment, and it is to
be remembered that a single Blip constituted failure'
there was no "try again." The box with the "hard
woids " ht..ing been produced, and the umpire—the
Rev. Mr. Kerr, of Greenock, supported by a stout
lexicon—having taken his place, the performance pro-
ceeded. It did not last very long; the reader will
speedily divine the reason. At first, as if it had been
intended, the words were pretty easy, but a stumbling-
block soon presented itself in the form of "myrrh."
The "victim " retired blushing, and the performance
went oh. Other posers soon turned up, and the amuse-
ment increased. One gentleman, for instance, spelt
" knotless " without the "k." On being reminded on
the fact he looked astonished, and seemed as if he
were not quite sure whether he or the umpire had
made the mistake. A good-natured laugh from the
audience assured him on the point, and he modestly
retired from the lists. "Encyclopedia" was after-
wards announced. The gentleman to whom it was
addressed thought for a moment, and then left
his seat; " I give in," he remarked, as he
did so. By this time the ranks were getting some-
what thin; and here are a few of the sticklers
which contributed to this result : Laboratory,
epaulet, irreproachable, anthropology, apocryphal,
apocalyptic, Abyssinia, obsequiousness, mysticism,
noisome, hieroglyphic, &a. Daring the performance
the ladies displayed good pluck, and the fact that all
the honours were taken by them may be regarded as a
crowning argument in favour of female suffrage. The
first prize (a handsome workbox) was gained by Mrs.
Dick, Wishaw ; the second by Mize Vevin, of Derry;
and the third by Miss Lapraik, Maryhill.