The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1897-10-10
HOUSTON POST LETTER BOX.

crhts department Il intended 70 answ:r
questions that are Of general interest. lts
main object Ii 10 supply out-of-the.way
u personal interest only viii not be an
swered. No business or personal addresses
will be given. All correspondence should
BE Addressed to The Letter Box. care
Der OF questions received answers can not
always be given promptly
While only twelve or fifteen questions
are answered In this column each week.
It In safe to say that NOT less than fifty
arc received In that time. Fully three
fUirths OF the queries are directly con-
trary to the standing instructions at the
head of this department. 1t is the aim
Of the Letter Box to be OF general inter-
est. not individual. John Smith may be
anxious to know the address OF the Pc
nobscot Pork and Beans company. but
It is hardly likely that any one else de :.
sires the information. Mary Jane Qusei-
berrJ wound doubtless be pleased 10 know
In what county Of what State Is the town
of Possumtrot. but II would be a cruel
injustice to inflct that and dozen SIM
liar questions on other readers OF this
column. The correspondent who Is In
serested In knowing how many people
cross the San Jacinto street bridge in a
day should stand somewhere and count
them. II you really desire to know the
railroad fare from Houston to Denison,
why not ask a ticket agent? When A.
bets u. that the moon was shining on
a certain night, why not refer the set
tiement to an almanac rather than wait
three weeks or an eternity for an answer
In this column? II your debating club has
chosen the weighty subject, Shall CuOa
be Free?" for discussion, 1t would be far
more satisfactory to read few congress
sNna1 speeches on the question than TO
INSIST that the Letter Box give You the
needed points for the negative side. The
editor OF this department again asks that
correspondents use some discrimination
In sending queries, always conforming to
the few regulations that have been es-
tablished. 1t Is pleasure to answer
questions of general interest, and to seek
out information that is sure to be of some
use to the average reader and such quer-
les are always welcomed Every question
that does not conflict with the rules at
the head of this column is certain to be
answered Within reasonable length OF
time.
How did the legend I'm God We Trust"
happen to be placed on nearly all of our
coins? COT.
SO far az the treasury department rec
ords show the first suggestion for the
recognition OF the diety on the coins OF
the United States was made by M. II.
Watkinson OF R;dleyville. Pa. who signed
himself Minister OF the Gospel in
letter dated November IL, 1861. He pro-
posed that instead Of the Goddess of Lib
erty there should be next inside of the
thirteen stars Il ring inscribed with the
words ''perpetual uniom;' within this
ring the all-seeng eye crowned With a
halo: beneath this eye the American flag.
bearing in its field stars equal to the
number of the States united; in the folls
of the bars the words. God. Liberty,
Law" Several other notices were sug-
gested for National recognition, in
GLIDING. "Our Country; Our God" God,
Our Trust" and "In God We Trust" The
latter was finally chosen and an act was
passed April %, 1854, authorizing the coin
age of the 2-ceiit piece. the devices Of
which We're to be fixed by the director
of the mint, with the approval of the
secretary of the treasury; and it Is upon
tho 2-ccnt bronze piece that the motto
a subsequent act Il was provided that the
motto should be inscribed on all coins
admitting of It.
"canard," as now ann,Ied 70 = false ru.
NOR or piece of manufactured news?
1t was due to n newspaper story. One
Cornelison. a Partisan writer. related
with great realism of detail the story of
an experiment which he averred had been
made in the French capital to test the
voracity of ducks. Twenty of these fowl. |
he wrote were placed together one morn
ing and one of them was killed. cut |
into small bits. feathers and all, and fed
TO the other nineteen. Fifteen minutes |
later No. 10 was hashed and served to |
the remaining eighteen. and 80 on. The |
experiment, Cornelison declared, began |
at o'clock. and at Las a. m. there was
but one duck remaining in the PEN and
he. of course, had eaten his nineteen
cor,panions. The story was cleyerly