Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1875-03-28
ORTHOGRAPHICAL.
NashViIle's First Spelling-Mateh.

Masonic Hall last night under the auspices
of Christ Church was attended by a large
and select audience, and proved 70 be a
very entertaining affair. a fine band was
in attendance and played number OF pop
uiar airs before the exercises began.
Chairs enough to seat a good sized public
school were arranged on the stage in the
form Of a semi-circle, in the midst Of
which was placed stand, on which was
displayed a handsome gOld-lined silver
cup-the prize to be awarded TO the sue
ceSsful competitor.
The exercises were to have commenced
at O'Clock, but owing to the fact that the
spoilers were ''backWard about coming for
ward, p It was half an hour after that time
before any one appeared on the stage.
Prof. James S. Fall being the first to pre-
sent himself. Coming to the front Of the
the stage, be said he held in his hand a
list Of those who had signifed their willing
ness to take part in the contest, and as he
read their names he wished those who
were in the audience to come forward. be
then read the following list:
J. p. Drouillard, Alex. J. Porter, III. G..
Pritchett, Jos. W. Allen, v. L. Kirkman,
Alex. Hall, R. G. McNairy, Spencer Eakin,
E. II. Hicks, J. Hill Eakin, W. I. Berry,
r. II. Howell, John Kirkman, A. b. TaEel,
A. Steary, w. E. Eastman, Edgar Jones,
J. B. Brown, ]. Z. Goodwin, James Trim
Die, a. NJ. Harris, G. d. Berry, II. G. Nc
Daniel, j. W. Ewing, ]. E. Washington,
j. George Harris, j. d. Plunkett, ID.
B. Cooper, Ira P. Jones, r. B. Cheat
ham, g. II. DOugdale, T. B. Dallas,
Harry Harrison, ". l.. Brown, DR.. j. r.
Buist, Robt. Ewing, J. D. Wheeler, W. G.
Butteried, w. G. Nelson, Writ Hughes, r.
G.. Stone, III. D. Martin, A. W. Rutledge,
w. NJ. Duncan, Leslie Warner, John III.
Barrow, ". F. PrOsser, W. h. Morrow,
VIM. A. Webb, L. r. Eastman, ]. o.
TreanOr, 7. Cooley, A. Fl. Robinson, Nat
f. Dortch, T. d. CTaighead, A. II. Hicks,
ir., James Lindsey, A. V. S. Lindsley, jr.,
DIR. V. S. Lindsey, Norman Farrell,
DR.. T. A. AtchisOn, I. AtehisOn,
Judge Ferriss, Geo. E. Purvis, W. G. Col
lier, g. M. Fogg, j., Frank I. Reid, G. A.
Thompson, w. III. Davis, W. Livingstone,
w. d. Kline, Maj. Whitesides, DR.. w. II.
Morgan, Frank Frizzell, Tom Caldwell,
Sam DOnelson, John NJ. Thompson, G. I.
Thompson, c. L. Ridley, Maj. J. d. Wade,
Andrew Caldwell, II. L. Claiborne, II. 7.
McCreary, S. II. Bell, Z. I. Berry, A. B.
Hoge, George Cunningham, J. I. Bell, w.
A. knight, Col. John Fleming, Trimble
Brown.
THE sPELLERs.
Of the abOve-named, MessTs. j. z.
Drouillard, II. G. Pritchitt, Van Kirkman,
A. B. Starey, II. G. Mcdaniel, G.. II.
Dougdale, Harry Harrison, w. G. Nelson,
A. B Tavel, J. Trimble, G. d. Berry, j.
w. Ewing, L. B. Dallas, Writ Hughes, A.
W. Rutledge, Judge Ferris, DR.. Morgan,
Tom. Caldwell, jr., z. 7. Berry, and A. II.
Hicks, jr., were the only ones having
sufficient confidence in their knowledge of
the structure Of the English language to
put in an appearance, though quite num-
Der Of the delinQuents were in the audience.
To these an earnest appeal was made by
Judge Ferriss, as the captains were ar
ranging their forces, but said appeal was
successfully resisted by all but tWO-Wm
NJ. Duncan and Harry ID. Martin. These
gentlemen marched bravely forward, took
seats upon the stage in one Of the classes,
and then ''slid out" the moment their cap
tain's back was turned, taking refuge be
hind the scenes, where they were joined a
moment later by Q. L. Ridley, whose cOur-
age failed him even after he had taken his
position in the class.
Judge Ferriss having exhausted the
printed list, then called upon various per-
sons in the audience to come forward and
show their familiarity with their native
tongue, but these invitations were declined
ia every instance.
PRELnIINARIEs.
Previous to Judge FerriSs' efforts to
drum up recruits, Prof. Fall announced
that Messrs. DrOuillard and Dallas had
been selected as captains, and they having
selected their classes from the list given
above, together with perhaps a dozen
others whose names our reporter was un-
able to get, Prot. Wharton announced
that the words would be given out by Prof.
Clark, of the Nashville University, while
Prof. Fall and himself would act as judges,
the one to use a Worcester and the other a
Webster dictionary as authority. BE said
that at the close Of the exercises, the audi
ence would be asked to give the proper
method Of spelling "Tennesseean" and also
the proper pronunciation Of "g-O-u-p," but
for some reason, these cOnundrums were
not propOunded at the close Of the spelling.
Prof. Clark then said he wished each
speller to rise when a word was given him,
aud if be missed to step aside Immediately.
THE TROUBLE BEGINS.
The preliminaries having been thus dis
posed of, the spelling began at i've minutes
after nine. The first word was reformed
and was successfully tackeled by an in
surance man, whose office is in the vicinity
of the city LIBRARY. Words Of two syl-
tables followed, and one round was made
without a member of either class missing,
but in commencing the second round,
a victim was found in the person Of
member Of the County Court, who in
sisted on spelling "evil" with an "a" imme-
diately after the fist letter. BE was
heartily applauded for his originality, but
without stopping to make his acknowl-
he lodged out Of sight behind
the scenes. He was almost Immediately
by a South Nashville gentleman
who earned his congo by putting an extra
ap' in "imprOper." Then an ex-cOllector |
Of taxes got his vOwels mixed in the word |
abelieve," as did also a young lawyer, |
whereupOn they both stepped aside.
A china-WaTe man and another legal /
luminaTy succumbed to Prof Clark's |
ssbesiege," and then there was a Lively pat
tering Of words here and there without |
any disastrous effects, but soon a very young |
DOCK uldu AdQ LLt ttlcllClLg VI BCAllA
hoored by "felicity," and, in order to keep |
him company in his retirement, a North /
street lumber man and the insur- /
ance man pretended they thought ''peace-
able" was spelled with an ''i'' before the
final SYLLABLE. These three ''o1ts"
being all members Of Capt. Dallas COM
pany, a well-knOwn and popular tooth car
Denter sought to eretrieye" the waning for
tunes f that class, but as he reversed the |
aei, )" in doing so his effort was pronounced /
a failure, and he also fell back, with "his /
hOnOrs thick upon him."
The next victim was one Of the captains, /
whose method Of spelling 'seive" differed /
from that of the authorities, and then an
other young lawyer and the scion Of a
member Of a Cherry street nOOk-trm, were /
both rubbed out by the word "deleble,"
one spelling it with an ''i' and the other a
double dep Thel word ''bOnnyclabber"
having been successfully wrestled with, /
gentleman connected with powder manu-
factory gave up the contest on the word 1
By this time there |
were but four remaining on each side, /
when the word e'sizable" hOOred one of the |
and a few moments later two /
on the other side weakened before the |
word acryStallize," while Immediately after |
the only two remaining on that side found |
something TO remember, thus /