Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-01-03

kind. If. institutions securing justice and lib
erty can be maintained, there need be no fear
for the future Of the country"
GEOGRAPHICAL RECREATIONs."
Alan's Questions which His Uncle Couldn't
Answer Correctly.
''what ID the hottest city in the world,
uncle?' asked Alan, looking up from his geog-
raphy.
81 don't know, unless ii is the plaza in front
of the city hall on . July day." answered
uncle.
mo" said Alan, thoughtfully, II don't think
that is it. The plaza isn't city and, besides,
there must be hotter places than that"
Uncle did not seem disposed to urge his
view a the right one and there was silence
for few minutes. Alan's mother was trying
to construct new mitten out of one of his old
ones. with Q thumb alone left base for
operations. Finally Alan said, petulantly:
81 don't see what's the use Of such questions.
anyway; hate geography"
Hate geography" repeated his uncle, in
mild surprise. ''Why, / think it is the most in
te resting study you have in school. 1 always
| liked geography immensely, and I was sorry
when had to get out. left il, you see, because
there was nothing more for me to learn.
graduated from it very early in my school days
much earlier, think, than any of the other
boys, and for no other reason than that liked il
solweu that it came very easy to me-"
Well, you wouldn't like it if you had such
things as these to bother about"
Tut, tut. my boy; all Biographies teach the
same things. They may be taught in different
| ways. but the facts are the same.''
did you have such questions as that in your
geography asked Alan.
| ssSnch ,ha<o
GAS that ono about the hottest CITY,"
"No, don't remember that particular one.
Is that in geography
.'Yes, and lots more like it, Maybe you can
help me answer some Of them"
swell" said uncle, with trace of uneasi-
ness in his voice, I'm do the best can. Let
me see the book
Perhaps you would enjoy it more if asked
ask you the questions2" said Alan very politely.
| at would seem more like your old school DAVIS
just before you got out Of geography, you
know
II Alan's mother had not been in the room.
there might have been some objection raised
to this plan, but that lady's presence had a
curious effect upon uncle at times and this was
one Of them. "An right" said uncle, Ego
| ahead
''What African capital was named after a
President Of the United states?" read Alan.
"Eh?" said uncle, with start, whats that?'
Alan read the question again.
l. What African capital was named after a
President Of the United States?" repeated uncle,
slowly. "Why, don't recall the name of any
African capital just now, but think there must
be some mistake. am quite sure would re-
member any such thing as that
II guess there isn't any mistake" said Alan.
| Its right here as plain as can be-"
Perhaps it is Monrovia, the capital Of Libe-
ria, " suggested the mitten builder.
That it, )" said Alan, quickly. Il remember
it now"
'Oh, Liberia" said uncle THAT las come
into existence since was in school and could
hardly be expected to know anything about
that"
1T was established in 1922" said the lady
with the thumb, and uncle, who has Just passed
his fiftieth birthday, looked grieved.
'Whats the use Of bothering with such two
for-a-cent countries, anyway" he asked, indig-
nantly.
II don't see any one bothering with any of
them, }" said Alan, gloomily, ''but as you said
facts were the same in all biographies sup
posed it was all right. Here's another: What
drug gets its name from a Mexican city?"
uncle, sternly.
Fright here, big a. life, said Alan serenely.
| when get 80 can answer such questions
as that, said uncle, with marked sarcasm, I'm
put green and blue globes in my windows, get
a soda fountain and open a drug shop. In
formation Of that sort ought to be confined to
a dispensatory."
Il know the answer to that" said Alan, ''if I
could think Of the name of it. What was that
stuff had to take when l was sick that didn't
like-that horrible tasting stuff
"Jalap," answered his mother.
'Thats 1t" said the boy. "Jalap's the thing;
it gets its name from Jalapa."
Il never took jalap." said uncle: ''h had
maybe l should have known"
Then Alan switched off to the United States
and gave uncle a chance to bound New York
| as starter. Uncle succeeded in that, and
then he took q hand himself, and asked Alan
"a
New York city and the surrounding country
that the boy lost his head entirely and made
such wild answers that his uncle grew quite
happy. Inquiries about trips up and down
and across the state showed that Alan knew
only what the questions in his geography had
brought to his attention. He knew that if he
went to the Grand Central station he could get
train that would take him to Buffalo, but he
did not know Of any other railroads that would
assist him in mourning that misfortune. He
did not know whether Lake Champlain flowed
north or south, and he "guessed" Long Island
was 200 miles long. In less than ten minutes
uncle had restored himself to the respectable
position he had once occupied in the esteem of
his nephew, and Alan was quite willing to be-
lieye that his relative was q man Of vast in
formation.
Alan's mother looked little troubled, but
she bided her time, and there came a short
turn in the comfortable highway down which
uncle was travelling SO proudly. 1t came when
Alan asked his uncle what was the capital of
Nebraska. Uncle said it was Omaha, and
nothing but look at the map would convince
him that it was Lincoln. He gravely said that
Augusta was the capital Of Nevada, and when
he was obliged to turn that name over to
Georgia and Maine, he was also forced to adj
init that Atlanta was the capital Of the former
state. He utterly refused to believe that there
were twenty-four states in the Union larger
than New York, and he was confident that Ne
braska lay on the west bank of the Mississippi.
He had Washington and Wyoming touching
shoulders and he believed Iowa bounded Ar
kansas on the north.
When Alan turned to Africa. uncle desper-
ately said that since Stanley and Emin Pasha
had been cutting around there and dividing up
territory things had changed so much that he
did not feel competent to give any information
about that benighted country. In Europe he
thought the River Volga enptied into that
water up there between Sweden and Norway
and Russia" and he was not sure whether
Sweden was east of Norway or Norway east Of
Sweden. The only cape he could remember
around Europe was North Cape, and he at first
said that Messina was in Spain.
OF Asia uncle knew next to nothing, and tho
fact there was more than one Turkestan was alb
solute news to him. He could not tell anything
about Australia except that there were sew
eral states there and among them were Victoria