Chapter 12 cont. SPELLING SCHOOLS The chief public entertainment for many years was the celebrated spelling school.  Both young and old looked forward to the next spelling school with as much anticipation and anxiety as we nowadays look forward to a general 4th of July celebration.  And when the time arrived the whole neighborhood, yea, and sometimes several neighborhoods, would flock to the scene of academical combat, where the excitement was often more intense than had been expected.  It was far better, of course, when there was good sleighing, then the young folks would turn out in high glee and be fairly beside themselves.  The jollity is scarcely equaled at the present day by anything in vogue. When the appointed hour arrived, the usual plan of commencing battle was for two of the young people who might agree to play against each other, or who might be selected to do so by the teacher, to "choose sides," that is, each contestant would choose the best speller from the assembled crowd.  Each one choosing alternately, the ultimate strength of the respective parties would be about equal.  When all were chosen one could be made to serve, each side would "number," so as to ascertain whether amid the confusion one side had more spellers than the other.  In case, he had some compromise would be made by the aid of the teacher, the master of ceremonies, and then the plan of conducting the campaign, or counting the mispelled words, would be canvassed for a moment.  There were several ways of conducting the contest, but the usual way was to "spell across," that is, the first on one side would spell the first word, then the first on the other side; next the second in line on each side, alternately, down to the foot of each line.  The question who should spell the first word was determined by the "choosers."  One would have the first choice of spellers, the other spell the first word.  When a word was missed, it would be repronounced, or passed along without repronouncing (as some teachers strictly followed the rule never to repronounce a word),  until it was spelled correctly.  If a speller on the opposite side finally spelled a missed word correctly, it was counted a gain of one to that side.  If the word was finally corrected by some speller on the same side on which it was originated as a missed word, it was "saved" and no tally mark was made.  An hour perhaps would be occupied in this way and then an "intermission" was had, when the buzzing, cackling, hurrahing and confusion that ensued for ten or fifteen minutes were beyond description. Coming to order again, the next style of battle to be illustrated was to "spell down," by which process it was ascertained who were the best spellers and could continue standing the longest.  But often good spellers would inadvertently miss a word in an early stage of the contest and would have to sit down humiliated, while a comparatively poor speller would often stand till nearly or quite the last, amid the cheers of the assemblage.  Sometimes the two parties first "chosen up" in the evening would again take their paces after recess, so that by the "spelling down" process there would virtually be another race in another form; sometimes there would be a new "choosing sides," for the "spelling down" contest, and sometimes the spelling down would be conducted without any party lines being made.  It would occasionally happen that two or three very good spellers would retain the floor so long that the exercise would become monotonous, when a few outlandish words like "chevaux-de-frise," "Ompompanoosuc" or "baugh-naugh-claugh-ber," as they used to spell it sometimes, would create a little ripple of excitment to close with.  Sometimes these words would decide the contest, but generally when two or three good spellers kept the floor until it became tedious, the teacher would declare the race ended and the standing spellers acquitted with a "drawn game." The audience dismissed, the next thing was to go home, very often by a round about way, "a-sleighing with the girls," which, of course, was the most interesting part of the evening's performances, sometimes, however, too rough to be commended, as the boys were often inclined to be somewhat rowdyish. Debbie Clough G-erischer G-erischer Family Web Site http://gerischer.rootsweb.com/ Assistant CC, Iowa Gen Web, Scott County http://www.celticcousins.net/scott/ List Manager for: IASCOTT-L * G-erischer-L * D-encker-L Fitzpatirck-L * V-lerebome-L * Huntington-L * Otis-L * Algar-L EIGS-L * Pickens-L * McNab-L * Patris-L - Rankin-L