The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1875-04-08
,,,~Spelling-Matches.

ISt. Louis Globe.l
These things run in cycles. The re-
mark is not new one, but, for that very
reason, is more likely to be true one
Every now and then some kind of mania,
more or less absurd, or some sort of
lunacy, more or less harmful, breaks out
and spreads over the country, runs its
course like a fever, and comes to quiet
end. The "jerking epidemics which &C
companied certain form OF religious revi-
val, many years ago, will be remembered,
and we have not yet ceased to wonder at
it. But we console ourselves by saying
that the people of that day were COM
paratively unintelligent, and that moth
ing of the sort is likely to happen in our
time. Perhaps not; yet we have had
the crusade craze, which will excite
as much wonder in the minds of pos
terity as the "jerkings" of previous
period.
Something of the sort is sure to break
out every now and then, or surprise and
excite us to q greater or less degree, and
we should be thankful when it comes in
so mild form rs that of tile spelling
match epidemic, which is now taking its
way westward, and threatens to over
whelm us for a while. The spelling
match is peculiar feature of New Eng
land country schools, and New England.
ers have carried it with them in their
Western emigration, plantingit wherever
they start settlement and establish a
school-house. A night is appointed for a
spelling-match two leaders, supposed to
be the best spoilers in the school are ap-
81 hxv fxxyo al
ternately take their pick of the scholars,
until all are chosen upon one side or the
other; the relatives and friends of the
spoilers, and the young men and maidens
of the district, come together in crowds
to see them wrestle with the intricacies
of the English language; the teacher,
having previously prepared long list of
jaw. breaking words, the most promiscu-
Gus and unpleasant mixture of consonants
and vowels that is pessible outside of the
Welsh and Choctaw tongues, fires them
at one side and the other of the two
armies, whose ranks are gradually re-
duced by this heavy artillery until all
have fallen, or one party remains clearly
the winner. Then follow congratulations
and counting; the old people wonder and
Wiz bOyo ~ hOhhO WIN thO 6iiio,
and it is probable that from the spelling
match result several other matches of
more lengthy and serious nature. This
is very well as an amusement, and it
doubtless stimulates the scholars to learn
the art and mystery of spelling correctly,
although it seems to be fact that they
who have the quickest eyes and steadiest
nerves in rifle practice at big words, are
apt to scatter shamefully in shotgun ex-
ercise with smaller game. But it is quite
a different matter when old fogies and
business men, who have long since out
grown their horn-books, and have ac-
quired settled and, in many instances,
quite peculiar habits of spelling, stand
up to exhibit their spawned PAGES, and TO
show to an admiring multitude how
much they don't know about the Eng
lish language. 1t may be rare sport to
the spectators, and il undoubtedly offers
excellent sporting opportunities TO those
who are ambitious OF being laughed at.