Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1875-04-29
ORTHOGRAPHICAL.
The Spelling Mania &C an End-Re.
necti0ns upon it's Character and
y Good Results Accomplished
The contest Last Night at the The

~ -
y Good Resulfs Accomplished
The Contest Last Night at the The
ater.
During the past three nights Memphis
has been engaged in a gigantic under
taking, viz; to digest Webster and then
support all the orphans of the city. We
have been running a big spell and have
done it successfully, thanks to the gen.
tlemen who led the movement, as we'll as
those citizens who took an active interest
by attending the theater. The ghost Of
Noah Webster has been visiting both his
young and old disciples, and has en-
gulphed many in a maelstrom Of ortho-
grapby wherein the great object is to
keep on the surface, but one by one the
spoilers went down into the vortex. You
could hear the spelling mania discussed
on the highways and byways, in stores
and dwellings, in the mule-boxes,
but the spell is broken at last
and the epidemic has ceased. 1t rivaled
the buffalo gnat epidemic for several
days, but the latter holds out and the
former has passed out. Although Web
ster is regarded as the best authority
in many of the Southern and Western
States, yet it is not so regarded every
where, Worcester being preferable, in
more closely following the English au-
thors of standard merit upon orthog-
raphy. The Librarian of Congress says
in a recent letter upon photography
So far as the Library of Congress is con.
cerned, Webster has never been followed
in photography in printing its catalogues,
reports, or other documents. On the
contrary, wherever proofs from the Con.
gressional printing-ofice embody the in
novations upon English photography
which Webster introduced, they are in.
variably returned with corrections re-
storing the established spelling as repre-
scented by Worcester and the usage of all
great English writer's"
The spelling mania, starting in an in
terror town in Ohio, has spread North,
South, East, and West, and has resulted
in doing good, in furnishing an amuse-
ment of a character slightly intellectual
and family literary, and in creating a
handsome amount for the benefit of the
orphans of the different religious asseci.
tons of the city, the latter being the
greatest good accomplished by the tidal
ave Of spelling matches.
THE CLOSING SCENE.
Last evening the theater was crowded
by ladies and gentlemen, who contribu-
ted fifty cents each to the orphans and
were furnished with al entertainment
which was highly enjoyed. Manager
Tracy opened the exhibition as usual
and got up the following classes;
Mr.. R. A. Thompsen's class-Flor
ence Merriman, Mrs. Pattie Collins,
Esther Holt, Nellie Rose, Emma STRAIT,
ton, Sophia Wiley, Maggie Callahan.
Garry Weller, Garry Strauss, Mollie
Mount, Emma Holt, Maggie johnson,
Esther Morgan.
Professor Hughes class--Willie Ross,
A. Mitchell, W. A. Wheatley, Eugene
Kremer, Merrill Kremer, J.. H. O'Con.
nell, George Mallory, j. H. Mathes, Jake
Leubrie, John D. Adams, G. A. Hanson
}. c. Fleming, Cecil Mosby.
The umpires, judges and others gave
the greatest latitude to the girls" all
OF which was right, as gallantry should
be taught in spelling schools as we'll as
out of them. After a prolonged contest
and exciting struggle, the survivors were
Mrs. Pattie Collins, Misses Florence
M%erriman, Sophia Wiley, Nellie Rose
and Messrs. j. Il. 0'Connell, Merrill,
Kremer, Willie Ross. The word mis-
sel-thrush hoored " all the gentlemen
and all the ladies. Miss Sophia Wiley
being last on the list and also missing
the word, became the champion of the
night according to the equitable ruling
OF Manager Tracy. The contest closed
with a struggle for the prizes between
Messrs. 7. NJ. S. Rhett, Merrill, Kremer
and Miss Sophia Wiley, the champions
Of the respective nights. The word
mOn@cia was missed by Major Rhett
and Mr.. Kremer, and Miss Wiley became
the owner Of the prize dictionary and
silver goblet, which we're presented BY
Professor Anderson, of the City High
School, and this closed the spelling
school, which "panned out nearly eight
hundred dollars for the orphans.
Tow DEMONS, old reliable steamboat
painter, II Water street. 81