The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1897-04-18
POSTS LETTER BOX.


questions that are of general interest. Its
nan object Is to supply out-of- the-way
"a f9c,s and curious informetion. Questions
OF personal interest only will not be an
sWItyu' TO business or personal ADDRESSES
VIII he gwen. All CORRESPONDENCE should
bH addressed to The Letter Box, care
Houston Post. Owing to the large num-
Der OF questions received answers can not
always be given promptly
What is the atomic theory? What is the
opposite of Vt? KNIT
Tho atomic theory is theory of the
constitution of bodies, which asserts that
they are made up OF atoms. The oppo-
site theory is that of the homogeney.y and
continuity OF bodies and asserts. at least
In the case of bodies having no apparent
organization, such. for instance, as wafer
that AZ we can divide drop OF water
MO two parts which are each of them
drops or water. so we have reason TO be-
Hevc that these smaller drops can be d.
Nhed again. and the theory goes on TO
as scrt that there .s nothing in tn. nature
OF things to hinder this process of division
nom being repeated over and over again.
times without end. This is the doctrine
OF the infinite dvlsitillty of bodies. and
1t is in direct contradiction with the the
ory of atoms. The atomists assert that
after certain number of such divisions
tho parts would be no longer divlsible. be-
cause each of them would be an atom.
bets b that IN Russia slaves were
sold TO any on', who desired TO buy them
or in other words, a says 1t was the same
as II was here with the negroes Who
w.hsf Cyrus.
There We're slaves in Russia from the
earliest period known to history, and serf-
dom was In force down TO our own days.
IF the bet mentioned was q general one
and confined TO no particular era, \ wins.
Russla's system of serfdom nttaincd it's
fullest development IN the reign of Cath
er,ne il. The serfs were then bought
sold and given in presents, sale by public
auction being alone forbidden. The pro-
prietors could transport without trial their
unruly serfs to Siberia, or send them 10
the mines for life. The system was grad
ually modified and finally scrfdom was
abolished-!n 1861. Tho total number of
serfs belonging TO proprietors at tho time
of the emancipation was 2i,625,oco
Please explain how National bank notes
ore secured? How much cash is depos-
tied with the government. and how much
bonds? AE.W
The banking law Of 1863 authorized bank
Ing association of not less than FIVE per
sons subscribing Except in very small
towns) a maximum capital of sloo.0oo ~
per cent TO be paid up at once. and the
remainder within six months. Such asso-
Citations transfer to the treasurer of the
United States any United States interest
bearing bends not less than one-third of
tho capital stock. and thereupon rcce!ve
from the comptroller of the currency cir
culating notes equal in amount 10 90 per
cont of the current market value of the
bonds so transferred.
Where did the name "rago" orginate7
Io.lizola.
1t is claimed by some to be n corruption
of the frequent Spanish name Diego
equivalent TO the English name James.
BY others 1t is said 10 be purely n cor
ruption. or n nickname derived from hi
dalgos, which, though Spanish. and not
an Italian word. came by some accident
to be sneerngly applied to q foreigner
of Latin Europe, who CHANGED 10 be out
of his element. Whatever the royal or
seml-royal derivation of the word hdal-
COS may have been, the prostituted derlv-
alive is used in this country to designate
particular class of immigrants from
ITALY.
see in your Sundays edition in ref
eftnce to Spontaneous combustion in the
human body" you say Dickens makes use
of this theory in Bleak House. Are you
not mistak n about the title of the novel
and the character? The spontaneous com
bustion character believe, was the old
curiosity shop keeper. 4. A. Fox.
The Letter Box was correct. The char
actcr was old Kroolg. tho keeper of the
junk shop, or secondhand store. The
title of the novel in which the theory rs
developed IS Bleak House" Read the
Introduction to that novel. and you will
see why Dickens used this peculiar meth
cd of killing OFF, a character.
Can yo, tell me the number of
submarine cables now in use and the
mileage? What did they cost?
The following table gives the latest COM
putat.on:
Gables under 5 miles in length......... 761
Exceeding miles and under 50,...,.... 90
Exceeding 10 miles and ulder 100. ...... Ga
Exceeding 100 miles and under 500. ..... 165
Exceeding 500 miles and under 1O0o..... 81
Exceeding 1900 miles and under 20D0.... %
Exceeding 2Ooo miles Observation-Disclosures.
Total ....... ......,..........,...,..l3O 500
The expenditure of money In the laying
and manufacture of these submarine lines
has been roughly estimated at s2ON. 100000.
Who IS Foster the ST. Joseph, Mo.
weather prophet? Is he. n man or q
woman? Is he white or black? AW.
Mr.. Foster has the distinction of being
inquired about by letter Box corre-
spondents more than any other living per-
son. In order 10 satisfy the numerous
questioners as to the gentleman's sex.
color. age, ETC., The Post published n
Biographical sketch of him some
time ago. He ia a Caucasian. and was
born in Clark county, Illinois. January q.
1910.
How did the term "Cockney" originator
C.C.C.
Cockney was originally the name for a
child del!cately nurtured; hence the name
same TO be applied 10 the citizens of lux
rous towns, as opposed 10 the harder
of the country. Strictly |
speaking. the rame Is applied 10 such |
ratives of London as are born within |
The sound of Bow bells"