POETRY.
A " BEE " BALL A.D.
[Published when spelling-bees were the fashion.]
You say that you can spell, Sir, then be good enough to tell, Sir, How you spell me "parallel," Sir, " synthesis " and "sema- phore," And perhaps you will try " ecstatic " and " synoatigorematic," "Homiletic" and "hepatic," with an extra dozen more. Can you spell "chryselephantine," "periphrastic," and "Levan- tine," Or the simple "adamantine," and the " polysyndeton " P Can you tackle " anchylosis," can you spell " anadiplosie," Enthymeme," "hypotiposis"P--If you can, you're getting on.
Such little words as "grieving," "gallimaufry," and "de- ceiving," Oh, there's really no believing what mistakes you sometimes see !
"Prmostyle," "paroxysmal," "caryatides," and " charismal," Words like these, it's really dismal when they're misspelt at a "Bee."
So you'd better learn "enclitic,"—can you conquer " analy- tic " P With "torentic " ;Ind "mephitic," and a "penthemeral" pause; And there's "prestidigitation," "homocercal," " cacchination." Oh, it's quite an education to learn orthographic laws Some long words anatomic, have a sound that's rather comic, And for verses palindromic would be simply most absurd. There's the shorter " peroneus," and " palato-pharyngeus," " Sterno-cleido-mastoideus," — could you choose a simpler word P "Hydrostatic," "iridescent," "aromatic," "adolescent," "Enigmatic," "evanescent,"—these are easy words, you see "Manducation," " macaronic," "percolation," " geoponic," "Annuation," " antiphonic,"—there's a merry Spelling " Bee !"
W. M. W.
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