(Said to be a true story)
Late one summer afternoon a boy sat at his desk trying to learn a
spelling lesson. It was warm in the schoolroom and the boy’s head
ached. His teacher had gone out for a moment and he was alone.
A shadow fell across his desk. The boy looked up and saw a stranger
standing before him. He thought he had seen this man before. He felt
that he was a great man.
“Why are you not out of doors playing with the other children?” asked
the stranger.
“I am studying my spelling lesson,” answered the boy. “I have to stay
in every night because I just can’t learn how to spell. I hate it!”
“Nonsense!” said the man. “I can tell you in one minute how to learn
to spell.”
The boy laughed. “You must be a magician,” he said.
“No,” said the man, “I am not a magician, but I am the king. Boy, do
you think your king would tell you anything that is not true?”
“No, Sire,” answered the boy, springing to his feet, for now he
recognized the king from pictures he had seen.
“Then listen, my lad. Any one can become a good speller who follows
these three rules:
“1. _Listen_ carefully when the word is spoken.
“2. _Say_ it correctly when you speak it.
“3. _Look_ at the word thoughtfully to get an exact picture of it in
your mind.
“If you will study every word in your lesson in this way, you will
never again have to stay after school to learn your spelling lesson.”
“Thank you, Sire,” said the boy. “I will follow your three rules.”
Twenty-two years later the king received a present of a wonderful
book. When he opened it, he found the following words written on the
first page:
“This book is gratefully dedicated to
The King
By the boy whom he taught to spell.”
Yes, the boy followed the king’s rules. He learned how to spell and
how to write, and now he was one of the greatest writers in the land.
Do _you listen_ carefully while your teacher pronounces each word, or
do you write what you _think_ she says?
Do _you say_ each word correctly, or do you say _jest_ when you mean
_just_, or _comin’_ when you mean _coming_?
Do _you look_ carefully at each word until you have an exact picture of
it in your mind?
Will you try to follow the king’s rules in the study of the spelling
words in this book?
They will surely make your work better and easier.