Stories and Anecdotes - Honor is Better than Honors

     The moment was a tense one.  Rosalie Elliott had made it to the fourth round of a national spelling contest in Washington. The 11-year old from South Carolina had been asked to spell the word avowal.  In her soft southern accent she spelled the word, but the judges were not able to determine if she had used an a or an e as the next to the last letter. They debated among themselves for several minutes as they listened to tape recording playbacks.  The critical letter, however, was to accent-blurred to decipher.  Finally the chief judge put the question to the only person who knew the answer.

     “Was the letter an a or was it an e?” he asked Rosalie.  By this time, being surrounded by whispering young speller, Rosalie knew the correct spelling of the word. Still, without hesitation, she replied that she had misspelled the word and she walked from the stage.

     The entire audience stood and applauded, including some fifty newspaper reporters.  The moment was a heartwarming and proud one for her parents.  Even in defeat, she was a victor.  Indeed, more has been written about Rosalie Elliott over the years than about the “unknown” winner of the event!

     Being a person of truth, even when it is against us, will bring great honor.