Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1897-06-30
THE SPELLING GLASS.
GFeat Boyish Achievements In School Re-
called by a Middle Aged Man.

cAlleu Dy M1uule Axeu Mhns
"Our views as to what constitutes
great achievements, said the mid
die aged man, vary with our years
! we'll remember the time when
looked upon the boys who cOul6
spell such words as 'immateriality
and 'incompatibility' without mis-
take, with wonder.
LAS the words in the spelling book
increased in number of syllables
there were fewer and fewer words
to the lessons. There might be in
the two syllabled words lessons
whose columns of words reached
half or three-quarters of the way
down the page and with five or six
columns across the page. Those
seven and eight syllabled words
were in short lessons, only seven or
eight words deep, and only two OF
three columns across the page. But
short as they were, these short,
compact blocks of words of many
syllables presented to the younger
boys, who occasionally looked for
ward in the spelling book at them,
difficulties that seemed absolutely
insurmountable and when the
youngsters heard the older boys
spell these words out on exhibition
days at the close of term or on
days when the trustees paid the
school a visit, why, it seemed the
highest imaginable achievement
"This highest class, few in num-
Der, like the long words in the book,
would be ranged in row in front
of the seats, between the seats and
the teachers platform, upon which
sat the trustees. This spelling was
the elimination of the exercises,
and the whole school was interest
ed, and every one was anxious that
the class should acquit itself credit
ably, and the younger pupils like
myself believed that the trustees
must be greatly impressed.
'Immateriality, comes from the
teacher, standing book in hand at
one end of the platform, to the head
of the class, who repeats the word
and proceeds to spell it:
'Immateriality. I'm i'm, ma
ma, im-ma, tie to. inmate, ri ri,
-ma-te-ri, al al, material, j,
im-ma-te-ri-al-i, t-y ty, immateriali-
ty.'
HE is prompt and confident and
loud from start to finish, but the
whole school follows him breath
lessly and feels easier when he has
finished.
" 'Indestructibility, says the
teacher, licking at the next boy,
and he repeats it and goes on with
it confidently:
!" 'Indestructibility. Tn, in, de,
de, indie, s-t-r-u-c struc, in-de-struc,
ii, tt, in-de-struc-ti, bill, bill, indie
struc-ti-bil, i, in-de-struc- I'll bill, t-y,
ty, lndestructlbility.
And so it rattles along, every
one prompt and correct until the
teacher gives out one of the long
words to timid, shy little chap
who is fairly overcome by the pres
ence of the trustees and the general
solemnity and high tension of the
whole occasion. He founders and
founders over it hopelessly with
farmland shrinking voice. The teach
er repeats the word, enunciating the
syllables separately with an almost
painful distinctness, to impress them
upon the little chaps mind, but he
only founders the more. One of the
trustees looks stern, the other two
look kind and sympathetic, and
presently the stern man comes
around too, but the youngster breaks
down utterly and the teacher gives
the word to the next boy. That boy
doesn't realize at all the timid ter
ror of the boy who has just failed
He isn't that kind of a boy, and he
rattles the word off boldly and glib
ly. And SO it goes round and round
ill the words of the lesson are all |
given out. The little chap who failed
the first time comes up valiantly I
the second time and spells his word
promptly and correctly, whereat all
he trustees, the stern one included,
smile encouragingly.
From first to last half a dozen
or more words are bungled by one
BOY and another, but still the school
:eels that the class has done very
we'll, and as for me, being a small
BOY and only as far as the two syl-
able words, go home to tell my
'olks Of the wonderful deeds per-
formed that day by So-and-so Of our
school in the spelling examination,
and of the particularly tremendous
eat of Wiggles, the smallest boy in
he class, who never missed
word, New York Sun.