The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1903-03-05
THE "BLuE BACK" FOREVER.
A Spelling Bee From It.


THE ACADEMY. PUPILS SPELL WELL.
Frof..L. ". Bagley, principal OF Vine
Hill Female Academy, had given out
that there would be spellingS match
at the academy Thursday night, Fet-
ruary 26, the words to be taken from
Webster's ''blue back" speiler.
From the moment it was known that
there would be such contest interest
was keen, especially with the girls at
the Female Academy and the boys at
the Male Academy, as they were to be
the contestants in the spelling match.
Two or three days before the time
the schools had donned their respective
colors, blue and red for the female
school, and cd gold and black for the
male school. Almost every Pupil in
each school wore badge, and the in
terest grew.
Recently Webster's "blue back" as
has been noted in The COMMON
WEALTH, has been adopted by the two
academies here, and the great and
good old book has had better use here
during the past two weeks than IN
many years before.
At the appointed hour the schools
were ready, and a good audience from
the town had Assem- bled to enjoy the
fun. Prof. Bagley arranged his girls
on one side of the rostrum and Prof.
Bethea, principal of the male school,
| arranged his boys on the other side,
and they were ready for the battle.
Rules had been agreed upon, namely,
that each speller should have only one
trial at a word and should sit down upon
missing the second word.
Rev. M. L. kesler had baen selected
to "give out" the words. He took his
| position between the two opposing
columns OF trained spoilers, twenty
from the Female Academy and fifteen
from the Male Academy. And then
! the fun commenced.
To one whose first lessons in earthly
! lore we're taken from the "blue back, !"
with the familiar school room picture
in the front, the intervening years
were annihilated, and he sat again in
childhood's innocent hours dangling
his little legs beneath backle bench
in the little log school house among
the oaks at the cross roads.
With the first word for the contest
came the old familiar sound Baker =
| The gallant thing was observed and
the word was flung at the boys. In
the long ago, familiar fashion and in
nelllfluous tones, because Of their re-
hinder OF other days, sounded back
the ready speIler cha ba k-er ker,
baker,"
Thou to the girls were given :he
next In order, "Shady !" AS readily as
was the first word by the boys was this
taken by the head of the line On the
girls side, ''s-h-a sha d-y dy, shady"
Then the fun commenced IN earnest
The spelling ratified along over the
easier pag near the first of the book
but even in these easy lines one boy
went down. This nerved the Others
against similar slip AMI gave the girls
new hope that they would be victor
Gus in the end, as the first to fall from
the ranks had been from the Other
side. Soon another boy went down
and soon another aud another until
seven out Of the fifteen originals hst
dropped out and thus considerably
Trimmed their ranks, while every CIR
stood in her place and their ranks
were unbroken.
Soon one girl went down, however
and then creepiness came over every
girl, for they did no: know how las
| LL6y NOtlN I'LL Oub WACi cAiNO eA
tongues began to fail them and the
sickle of knowledge on the other side
should com mence to cut them down.
Soon went down another boy, thel
another, and down went another girl
Thea the third and fourth and fifth
girl gave way, and the record stoof
nine boys fallen and likewise five girl
ont Of line.
, Then all stood and missed nOthln:
on either side for a long time bu
/ when the harder lines were waded int
about the sixtieth page OF the bless
ed old "blue back"-they commenced
to fall en- either side, until all the boy
we're down but two, and the girls VIII
numbered twenty at the beglnnln;
we're now only eight. Like the famou
"Casabianca" these two boys ''stood o.
the burning deck whence all but then
had fed"