The young folks of today would scarcely guess
Their fathers and their mothers, in those times,
Could stand for hours the stern onslaught and stress
Of stubborn words, in long contending lines—
Arranged around the dingy school house wall
To see who was the speller best of all.
The country school was then the favorite nook—
A kind of home spun university—
Where old and young their worth in spelling book
Exhibited in a friendly rivalry.