Our law prescribes examinations, but forgets to provide for
the competency of the examiners; so that few better farces offer than
the course of question and answer on these occasions. We know not
precisely what were Master Horner's trials; but we have heard of a
sharp dispute between the inspectors whether a-n-g-e-l spelt _angle_
or _angel_. _Angle_ had it, and the school maintained that
pronunciation ever after. Master Horner passed, and he was requested
to draw up the certificate for the inspectors to sign, as one had left
his spectacles at home, and the other had a bad cold, so that it was
not convenient for either to write more than his name. Master Homer's
exhibition of learning on this occasion did not reach us, but we know
that it must have been considerable, since he stood the ordeal.
"What is orthography?" said an inspector once, in our presence.
The candidate writhed a good deal, studied the beams overhead and the
chickens out of the window, and then replied,
"It is so long since I learnt the first part of the spelling-book,
that I can't justly answer that question.
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