The old-fashioned Spelling Bee has never wholly died out in Lancaster

County, Pennsylvania. Each year readers of certain small-town papers

will find numerous news-titles headed something like this: "The Bees

Will Buzz," and under them an urgent invitation to attend a Spelling

Bee at a certain rural schoolhouse. "A Good Time Promised"--"Classes

for All"--"Come One, Come All"--the advertisements never fail. Many

persons walk or ride to the little schoolhouse. The narrow seats, the

benches along the wall, and all extra chairs that can be brought to the

place are taken long before the hour set for the bees to buzz. The

munificent charge is generally fifteen cents, and where in this whole

United States of America can so much real enjoyment be secured for

fifteen cents as is given at an old-fashioned Spelling Bee?

That April evening of Amanda's Bee the Crow Hill schoolhouse was filled

at an early hour. The scholars, splendid in their Sunday clothes,

occupied front seats. Parents, friends and interested visitors from

near-by towns crowded into the room.

Amanda, dressed in white, came upon the platform and announced that the

scholars had prepared a simple program which would be interspersed

through the spelling classes.

Vehement clapping of hands greeted her words and then the audience

became silent as the littlest scholar of the school rose and delivered

the address of welcome. There followed music and more recitations, all

amateurish, but they brought feelings of pride to many mothers and

fathers who listened, smiling, to "Our John" or "Our Mary" do his or

her best.

But the real excitement began with the spelling classes. The first was

open to all children under fourteen. At the invitation, boys and girls

walked bravely to the front and joined the line till it reached from

one side of the room to the opposite. A teacher from a neighboring town

gave out the words. The weeding-out process soon began. Some fell down

on simple words, others handled difficult ones with ease and spelled

glibly through some which many of the older people present had

forgotten existed. Soon the class narrowed down to two. Back and forth,

back and forth the words rolled until the teacher pronounced one of the

old standby catch-words. One of the contestants shook his head,

puzzled, and surrendered.

There was more music, several recitations by the children, a spelling

class for older people, more music, then a General Information class,

whose participants were asked such questions as, "Who is State

Superintendent of Schools?" "How many legs has a fly?" "How many teeth

has a cow?" "Which color is at the top of the rainbow arch?" The amazed,

puzzled expressions on the faces of the questioned afforded much

merriment for the others. It was frequently necessary to wait a moment

until the laughter was suppressed before other questions could be asked.




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