The Irish standard., 1886-05-22
QUERIES. i !
AN ENCYCLOPEDIA OF USEFUL
KNOWLEDGE.
Facts for Inqulsltlve Readers on a
Wide Range of TopIcs-llultum I'm

|
Wide Range of TopIcs-Ilu ultum 1n
| Paryo.
| B. M. asks: When and where did April
/ Fools Day first originate, and by whom?
The custom of playing tricks upon
people or sending them on absurd errands
| is traced back to the hull feasts which
existed among the Hindoos. A similar
practice prevailed in the Roman feast Of
Fools.
M. B.-Jim Fisk was shot at the Grand
Central Hotel in New York January 6.
1872.
W. A. Nc asks: 1. The population of
the six largest cities in Ireland. 2. I would
like to know the war-cry of the O'Neils of
Ulster.
/. Dublin, 33s, 579; Belfast 174,412;
Cork, 1862; Limerick, 49,670; London
derry, q, ,242; Waterford, 23,349. 9. s'The
Red Hand Forever"
S. G. writes: Please inform me when
Joining regiment if / must furnish the
uniform.
The members of the National Guard
pay for their own. uniforms and equip
ments. In certain regiments it is the
habit of the members of company to
contribute sufficient money in pro rata
sums for the purchase of the uniform OF
a new member. In the regular army the
nation pays for the uniform, etc.
Inquirer asks if German mile is four
times as long as an American mile?
The German short mile is nearly equal to
500 English miles, and the German long
mile to 5.75 English miles. The length of
the modern Roman mile is 1,62S yards;
English or American mile, 1860; Irish
2,24O; German short mile, $3.50; German
geographical mile, s,237; Swiss mile,
9.153; German long mile. 10, ,126; Swedish
milo, ll,70o.
G.. H.-Persons who have a supersti-
tious dread of Friday will not be pleased to
learn that that this is a thoroughly Fri
day year. It came in on Friday, will
go out on Friday, and will have fifty
three Fridays. There are four months in
the year that have five Fridays each;
changes of the moon occur five times on
the Friday, and the longest and shortest
day of the year each falls on Friday.
J. B.-Fred Archer OF England, has the
reputation of being the wealthiest jockey
in the world.
G. Give are now living in the eighty
seventh year of the 10th century.
j. OR. asks: Will you let me know
the best thing to remedy clinlkers from adj
herring to the friedrich?
Burn oyster shells with the coal.
A. c. r. writes u bets there are thirty
two States in the Union aud A bets there
are thirty-eight. Which is right?
Why do you not ask some scholar in a
primary school? You ought to be ashamed
of your ignorance.
E. Il. c. asks if there is any cure for
knock knee?
It can be greatly relieved by the use of
medical appliances, but 81 radical cure de-
mands an osteo plastic operation, and is
performed by q surgeon.
D. S. writes that A asks B. what two
numbers multiplied together make Z. a
answers times I. B answers twice :; 12.
The question is whether twice 8 Is are
two numbers
The mathematical defiuition Of num-
Der, rs given by the Webster, is 'sthat alb
stract species of quantity which is capable
of being expressed by figures Accepting
this as correct, then 3 1-2 is certainly a
number. The original question should
have been modified to s'What two whole
numbers etc.'
Kappa asks: Who is the author of the
phrase, s"There is q tide in the affairs of
men, which, taken at the flood, leads on
to fortune"
Read Shakespeare.
f.. G. writes: I am young man and
cannot wink, or, in other words, cannot
mash. l see all the other young mon do
it very easy, but cannot make anything
out Of it. You would greatly oblige a
constant reader of your paper if you would
let me know if there is any way of doing
it?
Your amount of brain is too small to
permit one eye to ''mash." You will have
to get more brain.
N. j. N--The aggregate value of
church property in the United States is
at about SO. $40, 100000. A tax
OF 6 per cent. levied on this amount would
Weld to the states the enormous sum of
Of $2l2, 100000.
j. A. R.--Blue Bull (Wilson's) ch. b.
was foaled in 1858 by Pruden's Blue Bull,
son Of old Blue Bull, alias Ohio Farmer,
dam by horse called Truxton, grand
dam not traced.
A. Tt. The peculiar white appear
ance of the moonlight, causing the ground
to seem covered with snow, has nothing
to do with approaching snowstorms but
is witnessed in summer as well as in
winter. II is caused by certain condi-
tons of the atmosphere. 2. The comet
of 1912 was found by astronomers to |
have period of seventy-o1le years, with !;
an uncertainty of three years. It's reap |
is, therefore, looked for during |
1856 g. Cassius NJ. Clay was born in
Kentucky in 1910.
jay. The first Cunard steamer,
Unicorn, entered the port Of Boston
Jan. 4, 1S4O. 2. Alexander the Great
was born in Europe; died in Asia, and
was buried in Africa. 3. John G. Breck-
nridge only sat in the United States
Senate as Senator during the special ses-
sion of July-August, 1861. After the
I'd sdiournment of the session he entered
The Confederate army, and one Of the
irst actions of Congress, on its meeting
IN December, was to expel him.
Maud.-1. If any emblematic flower
aas ever been suggested for the United
States it has never been placed OH record.
t may be doubted whether a atloWer COM
oining our National colors-red, white,
md blue could be easily found 2 The
states have no emblems except those
given on the various State seals, though
poetic Imagination might suggest the
,adoer as an emblem for WiScO nSin the