The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1876-03-14 00:00:00

SPELLING BEE AT THE COUNTY SCHOOL

A seettitro BEE, held at the Dorset County School
on Thursday evening, March 9th, afforded as much
amusement and elicited as keen an interest amongst
the boys as these competitions do with their elders.
Perhaps the prizes had something to do with the
excitement; at any rate the contest was carried on
with great spirit, judgment, and forbearance. Thirty
boys entered for the eight prizes. There were repre-
sentatives from every division, and the first two prizes
were won by boys in the lower part of the school,
owing partly to good luck in getting easy and suitable
words drawn for them. The Rev. J. A. Wiz, second
master, and Larkam commenced the entertainment
by effectively rendering a duet, which gained for them
well merited applause. The Rev. W. L. Barnes, of
Charminster, followed with a humorous reading, and
then the excitement of the evening began. The com-
petitors-30 in number—arranged in two divisions,
according to seniority of form, the upper including
the sixth, fifth, and fourth forms, the j • the third
second, and fiist, were interrogated by the Rev. T.
Russell-Wright, NIA., head-master, the unenviable
duties of referee being efficiently dhicharged by the
Rev. IV. L. Barnes. Several hundred test words had
been previously written on slips of paper, which were
drawn from a box by the interrogator and put to the
several candidates, the conditions being only one trial
and a fresh word for each, so that a second speller
could not be guided by the error of the first. The
"woolen spoon" WSW speedily won by Welch I. who
was compelled to give in to the word "psaltery,"
amid much laughter and cheers, lie was speedily
followed by Driver, who missed " 'deka," and,
as a consolation, was preseute 1 with a mysterious
parcel that, on being opened, was found to contain a
piece of I,.af paagar. Slowly but surely the circle was
thinning, when, to vary the proceedings, recourse was
had to a little music, Kelly singing "Pulling Hard
against the Stream," Larkam axumpanyiag, anti the
audience joining in the chorus. In response to an
encore, Kelly sang "My Brilliant and I." Norton
having giving a recitation from Shakespeare's "Mer-
chant of Venice," the "weeding" wit, resumed and
carried on till only the eitrht prize takers were left,
" evanescent," " conduit.' " imminent, " " phleg-
matic," "satellite,' "gristly," and "tirade" having
.lone deadly execution in the fait decreasing band.
After a reading by the head-master, a solo by the Rev.
J. A. Wix, a song from Drake, and a recitati by
I)rcw, the interrogation for prizes commenced. Frear.
son, who stumbled at "bivouac," WM the first to
retire, closely followed by Welch. Th... next to retreat
was Clark I Lat"coalesce,"sueceeded almost i in mediatey
by Cox, I, who found "gauge" too much for him. A
spirited contest was now anticipated, but Portbury at
last succumbed to " phthisic," and the tug of war lay
between Haskell, Scott, and Toivnshend, the last
named a most striking exemplification of the old
proberb /errand ferei fortibus, for brave he was cer-
tainly, and in luck's way as well. Haskell'e fate was
sealed by "signet" (cygnet), and at last Dame Fortune
refused her assistance to Townshend for the word
" succour" (succor) caused him to retire, Scott
being thus left victor. The rev. the head-master
having given a reading from Tennyson, proceeded to
distribute the prizes as follows : —let, Scott, "A
Voyage Round the World," given by the head-master;
2nd, Townshend, a handsome pocket-knife, given by
Mr. Hazel; 3rd, 'Luken, "Pickwick Papers," given
by the Rev. 11. Everett' 4th, Portbury, purse, given
by the head-master ,• sth, Cox I, album, given by the
head-master; 6th, Clark, pencil-case, given by the
head-master ; 7th, Welch, " Martin Chuzzlewit,"
given by the Rev. H. Everett; Bth, Frearson, pencil.
case, given by the headmaster. The National
Anthem and hearty cheers for the rev, the head-
master, Mrs. Russell-Wright, the Rev. W. L. Barnes,
etc., terminated a most enjoyable evening.