Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1865-08-30

l@L tFt#ltAfA iLA4StlA-N-A AAt NHAAN "a VIZ
rotscn borough systcm Of England would
D. upon US.
Spelling Schools.
Have you forgotten them? When
.rom all the regions about, they gathered
IN 10 the log school house, wI,h its huge
fireplace that yawned like the main en-
trance to Avernus. How the sleigh bells,
the old fashioned bells, big in the mid
lie of the string. and growing small by
degrees and beautifully less, towards the
broad brass buckie-chimed in every di
rectiOn long before night-tbe gathering
Of the class. There came one TO school.
the Master" give him capital VI, fOT he
is entitled 10 it-Master, and all bundled
INTO one huge, red double sleigh, strewn
with an abundance of straw. and tucked
up like a Christmas pie, with a score ol
buffalo robes. There was half q dozen
cutters each with young man and ?
maiden, they two and no more. And
there again q pair of jumpers. mounting
a great oullan6ish looking bin, heaped
M, pressed down and running over,
Scripture measure, with a small collec-
NAO.i VI AChNSt AaB CT Ip'ttc II CA4A
dozen homes, and all as merry as kit
tens in basket OF wool. And the bright
eyes, ripe red lips that one caught a
glImps of beneath those pink-lined quill
ted hoods, and the silvery laugh that es-
capped the mutiieTs and fur tippetS they
wore tben,-who does not remember p
Who can ever forget them?
The school-house, destined to be the
arena of the conflict, has been swept and
garnished; boughs OF evergreen adOrn
the smoke stained and battered walls
Pellets of chewed paper have all been
swept from the ceiling, and two pals OF
water have been brought from the spring
and set on a bench in the entry, with an
Immemorial tin cup-a wise provision,
indeed. for warm IS the spelling room.
The boys have famed and replenished
the fire, till the old chimney fairly jars
with the flames, and the sparks fly out Of
the top like a furnace, the oritlqmms OF
the battle.
The two Masters" as they are; the two
schools as they are, and such hum, and
such moving to and fro!- VIII they
swarm?
The ierule comes down upon the desk
with emphasis What the roll of the
drum is to armies, that rule" is TO this
whispering, laughing young company.
The challengers are arranged on one
side of the house, the challenged on the
other. Back seats, middle seats, low
front seats all filled. Some of the faith
ers and grandtathers, who could, no
doubt, upon occasion,
'Souder the crutch and show how fields are won.
occupy the bench of honor.
Now the preliminaries; the reputed
best speller on each side chooses. ''Su-
san Brown ~
Out comes a little round-eyed creature,
blushing like a peony. Such a little
thing and chosen first.
Moses Jonesr' Out comes Moses, an
awkward fellow, with a shock of red hair,
shockingly harvested surmounting his
broad brow. The girls laugh at him; but
what he doesn't know in the "elementa.
ny" isn't worth knowing.
Jane Murray !" Out trips Jane. fut-
tered as bride, and takes her seat by
the side of the caller, She is a pretty
girl, but sorry speller. Don't You heaI
the whispers around the house? why
that is Johns sweetheart" John is the
anu - OetLNAC AOoA I'VE ttiAG at hAs
sioe, would be sweeter than victory wor
without her.
And so they go 'calling names unit
five or six champions stand forth ready tC
do battle and the contest is fairly begun
Down goes one after another, as word,
of three syllabies are followed bv those o
four, and these again by words of similar
pronunciation and significatiOn until
Moses and Susan remain.
The spelling book has been exhausted
yet there they stand. Dictionaries are
turned over, memories ransacked fol
Words of length and thundroing sound"
until by-and by. Moses came aown like s
tree, and Susan hutters there still, like a
leaf alOft that the frost and fall hath
forgotten.
Polysylables follow, and by and-by Su
san hesitates Just Il breath OF two, and
twenty tongues are working their way
through the labyrinth of letters in q
twinkling. Little Susan sinks into the
chink left for her on the crowded seat
and there is a lull in the battle.
Then all stand in solid phalanx by
schools, and the struggle Is to spell each
other down. And down they 60, like
leaves in winter weather, and the victory
is declared for our district, and the school
j dismissed.
Then comes the huTying ard bound
ing, the whispering and glancing, the
pairing off and tumbling in. There are
hearts that fiutter and hearts that ache;
"mittens" that cannot be worn, hopes
that are not realized, and fond looks that
are not returned. There is a jingling
among the the bells at the door, one after
another of the sleighs dash up, receive
their nesting freight, and are gone.
Our Master" covers the fire, and putts
out the candles, (dont you remember
how he used to pinch the smoking wick
with forefnger and thumb, and then
thrust each helpless luminary head first
into the sockets?) and we wait for him.
The bells ring family i'll the woods,
over the hills. in the valley. They are
gone The school house IS dark and ten
antless, and we are alone in the night.
Merry. care free company! Some of
them are sorrowing, some are dead, and
all, we fear, changed. SPELL All, the
"spell" that has come over that crowd
of young dreamers-over you, over US
will it ever be dissolved in "the white
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