Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1875-05-15
Spelling Bee.

| In the following wise over our Amerl-
can Spelling Bees.
An article, headed spelling Bee" !"
having caught our eye last week In
one of the daily papers. We began to
speculate as to whether some new in
sect prodigy had been found to paral-
lei or eclipse The industrious Fleas'
which did there best to shame us out of
our Incidence some years ago; but we
were quite on a wrong tack. In this
instance, the erudite bees were grown
up Children, belonging to the busy
hives of Philadelphia, aud the ':shining
hours" they were so anxious to
Improve were spent oppisite the foot
lights of the Academy Of Music. Here
the young men and maidens were
drawn up in two divisions-the sexes
being kept seperate, as in Ritualistic
church. The audience numbered 1000,
and there was the greatest excitement
to see, or hear, Young America spell.
The prefect-had he been in the Jeru-
salem Chamber he would have been
called the "prolocutor". stood ready
with Webster's Dictionary in his hand,
from which he kept giving out words,
first one to the young ladies' side, and
then one to the young gentlenen's
ditto. If the word was correctly
spelled, the candidate kept his place
but whoever made mistake had to
beat retreat amid the jeers of the as
sembly. As the words were tolerably
stiff the ranks of the competitors rapid
ly thinned. 1t does not say much for
their Professionalism that they could not
spell "Antechrist," nor for their ecclesi-
asticism that that they could not spell
"Inscence." We should have thought
the Philadelphia ladies were too fond of
dress to bungle over chincilla," and
too fond of flowers to take of
"Polyanthes" The young gentlemen
who treated the company to "Muscat-
eer sis evidently unfit to shoulder a
gun. We hope he may long remain
equally ignorant of "colocinth, i" 'cloro-
FORM and "delequescent" salts. We
hope, too, that neither he nor any of
his friends may ever be "pennyless."
We should have thought that almost
anyone could have successfully spelled
'obelixue," ''covtous,' "deturgent,"
-impursment,' &c. (N.B.-So far
the words quoted are all wrongly spell
ed), especially after getting safely
through such words as 'yarioloid" and
"chirograyhy," which we cannot but
think are much too hard for uiud uoce
examination OF this kind. Indeed, if
you get to one "graphy," why not pro-
ceed with the other members Of that
somewhat numerous family, viz, cali
graphy, cacograyhy, stereotypography,
stenography, brachygraphy, tachy-
graphy, monography, autobiography,
historiography, photography, slelo-
glaphy, tslegraphy, cryptography, pol
ygrapby, &c, and not forgetting pas
igraphy, of which We gave examples
some few months ago? These would
be an exercise in themselves. Our fair.
friend viii be glad. TO Scar that the
ladies had the last word-as, indeed,
was pretty shore to be the case. But,
really, is not the "SpelliDg Bee hap
py notion, and one which (n private
house, might make an hour pass pleas
antly without throwing it away7
HYGIENE OF THE SEWING MACHINE
DR.. A. X. Gardner, of New York, a
well.known practitioner. who has made
female diseases especially, giyer it as
lis opinion, based upon many years
study of sewing machines ofall patterns,
that the invention is the greatest boon
of the nineteenth century, especially to
woman, and that without any apprecia-
BILE drawback. He AYERS that no injuri
ous effects whatever are caused by 1t
beyond the exhaustion which is felt
from this as from every oyerwork.
Finding, he says, no proof that physical
disease originates from, OF is even aggra-
uated by the use of the sewing machine,
/ am forced to believe that in the mod
crate use of the muscles of the lower
limbs the analogy holds good in this as
in every other form of labor, that use
strengthens the organs; that, while the
use Of half the body is not so conducive
to health or to the equal development
for the entire body, as if the whole frame
were exercised, it is certainly better
than no exercise at all, which falls to
the lot of the confined hand-sewer.
Mn. BEECHERs INCOME AND OrTGo
-Extraordinary obscure are Mr..
Beecher's financial transactions. He re.
ceives a salary of S20,OOO year as a
min lister be is part owner of the
Christian Union newspaper he is q vol
luminous author, having written over
thirty books; he obtains very large fees
for performing marriage ceremonies, and
he saws that he made $4,000 on one
lecture trip. For contributing to Bon
ner's Ledger, and other journals, Mr..
Beecher is said to receive several thou
sands dollars per annum. We have fire.
quently heard his friends say that his
yearly income has been from $40, 900 TO
100000 per annum. Now, if he only
saves his salary from Plymouth Church
and spends the remainder of his income,
he would have been able to lay aside
100000 in ten years. not counting
some $4,000 interest to be added to
the prancipal. Yet, two years ago, he
mortgaged his house for $4,000 Of
course bis manner of keeping accounts
and dealing in financial matters is of