The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1898-05-22
THE POSTS LETTER BOX.

| THE POSTS LETTER BOX.
| This department Ia Intended to answer
| nutstions that are OF general interest l.s
| main oi5ect Is to supply out-oi tine way LET'S
| aud culions information. QLohlpDe OF ",
| sonni ihtefcst only will not be answered no
| business or personal ad lresses VIII pc BNe,l.
| All correspondents shoild be adoIosssu "
| This Letter Box care Houston POST V"liB
| 20 The large number Of questions received an
swers can not aiwars be siven p'ompuy'
| What Is Cretinism? R.o'R
| This Cretin Is ean idiot, unable to care for
hin self or to attend to his own wants and
neoeesites Always repulsive in appearance
usually with rnonstrcus soitre. bis mean
! iugiess eyes staring and glazing, saliva
| dropping from hts mouth, generally dirty, he
| is In a condition in which death would seem
preferable to life. The causes of Cretinism
are much in controversy cretlns are found
not only In the lower valleys OF Switzerland,
bu, also on the slopes OF the Pyreneos, in the
| Tyfoiean and German Alps. In Italy, Greece,
| Asia Minor. Alghanis,an and India. Inter-
marrisgo among the families of secluded
inouniain communities the lonely life led in
| Villages cut on from the world during six
months OF the year. the gnheal,hiness OF the
|
sun does not penetrate; The constan, use OF
snow water and many other possible causes
have been adduced by scientific writer's to ac-
count for the prevalence OF this curse OF the
Mountains, but there seems to be no uni
foimity of opinion on the question, and
where doctors disagree it is not for the laity
to decide.
How and under what circumstances did
| nnhin get posse8son Of the Philippine islands?
| what race Of people were on the island when
| discovered? l..
The Philippine islands were discovered by
ferdinand Magellan. in 1871. but they we're
/ not conquered by Spain until 1864. when an
expedition was sent from Mexico, which sub
duou one after the other. and finally brought
the entire group under Spanish rule Before
tho discovery by Europeans the islands we're
already in communication with the continent
Of Asia and were inhabited by an extremely
mixed population OF East Indians. Arabs
Chinese. japanese and IIudoos the foreign
| Clements exercising powerful influence
upor the native Malay population. The re-
sistance to the Spanish Invasion was inef-
fectlve. for the superiority of European fire
arms made the Spanards formidable in the
East indies, as in the West, but the native
| =, ''" ''""ss oucn tuTpuleht ana
'N' present lhSurreetion is said to lie the
twent sixth uprising since the Spanish con-
quest.
X there n rank IN the tr,,,oa e,,., .
Of today of lieutenant general and of general
=, y, theso offices exist why are they not I'll d 4,
miraI. also of yica ,d,imeie q" az olh'e 81 az
they not hled? who has entire command
oi inc United States army of today?
A. - b.A'C.
orr,, =. 1,9,,,.,.,. - Nv '".n 'aH" ~ '.'u
soto,o ma ,.a'i,-, a. NV URN Is oo-
ronon,anaar a., 'I',"s VI '"u 0",'gu states as
1fn,ta, s.. W '"e ioi''S u the
,,,, ~ '',' o''S pe'so" on,iu'a 10
r,n, ,1,o " ""i,'Ia'' next 10 MN
~. 60, ''' ""t ,"e rear "uinira''
'"aJo' "onuI"i N'iSoh a. Mics Is highest In
There were six roar .a,,ir,1s =, 49, -.
this vcar fo,,- =, IL, -, .A'F
10, Va """" ""Fo aireauy beeh
e'''ou' i'p 'itlo OF full ADMIRAL was created
by congress and conferred on Farrapnt far
gallant service during the war Aftor hs
death 1t fell to David d. Porter and after him
It became obsolete.
Da
seryIce7 SIAN" nave compulsory miiltar,
The British nrmv T., roo.,,.a, .,-, ~
Nhla
twelve wears or which MIN, d, 49,
of tho guards and sovcn :, ,bo ,n,ar,",,
tho line. may he in tho roser,.o ,.,'s1i,,'.
of good habits bowevcr ma. a,,,,.
of twenty-onc vcors wb,r,, ,,,.,.,as ="
retired Mt It's cyn,ratlor NM a,,,. i'''' ~ oe
recruncd bv vol,,o,.o. -, 80 "'a'
able- bodiod man 49,. '''.' "u' every
age belonging na,,bor 10 ~ '1 'o S'''S '"
a., -, " '"o volunteer nor
service in the militia for term of six years
which may be prolonged IN tua,,. 60.
.,.,.. 70 t"eiFe' Active
SURVIVE III inc militia Is limited to six months
tho first year and thrco or four weeks the
following years. Those enro,,od :, ~" 49,,
unteers are oxennt from, ,,p,,ta -. 49,.
are cnllod out Gov ,,,.'.' n'''''" SERVICE nut
oocb vc,r '''S " n'he Gays
What would bo the result II spafn won't,
,r iran her Islands to Germany while the