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.