The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1915-05-11
Spelling Not
A Lost Art
Girls Ahead of Boys in Tests
Made in High Schools by
Prof. Walker
Is. r WINTERS.)

-. ~ IINoJ
Chapel Hill. Mag S.-The faculty OF
correct spelling may have in 4 large
measure realized its hey-dey Of egi-
cheney in the days OF the old Bluehack
Speller. but if the results OF the SPELL
ing test applied to the $50 high schools
IS a safe index, spelling is not an alto
gether lost art. Prof, y. w. Walker.
state Inspector Of high schools, has
conducted a spelling test among l1e
high schools OF the State and $50 Of
that umb have rendered complete
reports. The number of pupils taking
the test was 6.513. and they were per-
mitted in the aggregate 325.650 trials
or chances in attempting to correctly
spell the nifty words C~atalogued III the
test. The total number of failures was
9S,102. The average grade attained
for that state was 6s.S1. kittrell
school topped the list in high averages
with the percentage of S9.hS correctly
spelled words.
Twenty pupils to whom the test was
! applied made the excellent record of a
grade of 100. The pupils and the
schools they represented are: Flora
C~anadaY, of the Benson school,; Nell
lie Fleming. BoonVille; Lille Aiken
and Jennie Bloom. Durham; Godena
Pope, Ellen MaultSby and Mary Clark,
Fayetteville; RoWena Evans. tiender-
son; Charles Blackburn. kernerSville;
Marguerite Sullivan, Sallie Hoover
and Floyd Mace, li~ncolnton; Fannie
Green, Loves Grove; Kathryn Hum
phrey, Philadelphus; Cranberry
Tucker. Plymouth: Annabel Spence,
Seven Springs; May Blanton, shelby;
Lille Eye, Startown; Mamie Teal,
Wadesboro; Icie Buchanan. Webster.
The twenty that made the perfect rec
ord affords an interesting contrast for
the six boys and girls that tied for
lowest grade. Another contrast indi-
~ z GO th0 ta . ,lnt ",yl- ~ 4 lott a..
spoilers han boys-in 80 cases boys
made the lowest grade and only in
4: cases, did the girls foot" the list.
OF the fifty words cataloeued in the
spelling test, the words consensus
and occurrence were the most diff
cult SnagS to the igh school pupils.
The latter was misspelled 1852 times
out of a total number of 6,513
I chances. The word Connecticut
sent a host of boys and girls from the
head" to the foot" of the long line
of spoilers. 1t was spelled incorrectly
g 1913 times in the total number OF
. 6,513 trials. about fifty per cent OF
h contestants handled the wore
"privilege' correctly, and an approx
G imately like number baked on tn
word ''embarrass." Fffty-One pc
s cent of the contestants confessed
V weakness in spelling the word "ac
c~Ommodate,' and the same per cen
DdlhCu oI llt PINJobISN- IL
word ridiculous" was "a Stumblin;
f block to tifty-two per cent Of the con
g t%eStantS.
It The word wednesday, was tn.
easiest target Of the fifty words in
cluded in the test. 1t was spelled cor
rectly 6,084 out of the total numbe
e Of 6.513 chances. "Preparation' wa
spelled correctly 1851 times, an
e precious" was correctly spelle'
5,9S1 times. "Grieved" was spelle
correctly 5,73S times. (Which wa
not so difficult as anticipated, and
was spelled correctly STA times.
The Durham high school enrolle
the greatest number of participants
IS 1854.
The Raleigh high school enrolle
the next greatest percent Of Boys an
girls in the contest with 800 entire:
,e The average next grade attained /
or Raleigh was 63.66. Asheville hig
err school had 277 boys and girls in tn
a contest, and attained an average grad
Of 76.1. Winston-Saiem enrolled 10
ne boys and 129 girls, and the grade
I'D the girls "bested' tho grade of tn
boys by two points. GoldSboro mac
to an average grade of 61.14, and Is
an boys and girls took the test. In TT
Sunbury school only two boys an
ten girls applied the test and the
average grade, 1888. The schools
- Bald Creek. Bethania, Concord, Coz
a leemee, Fayetteville, Hickory, Lille.
" Vile. Mars Hill high school Pl.
- mouth, Roper, Stanley, StartowI
:" Wakelon and Webster each attaine
- beyond the average grade Of 50 p'
cent.
lt Cooleemee high school attained
percentage just a fractional margt
p below the high grade attained 10y Ii
~ trell high school, the declared chan
piOn Of the test.
a
DAT XrE NAnr CDnN NnSE