The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1899-05-15
HOUSTON POST LETTER BOX.

Wv VOl LII LIN OOns
! trhs department Is intended TO answer
questions that are OF general interest. Its
main object Is TO supply out-of-the-way facts
and curious Information. Questions OF per-
sonai interest only will not DO answered. No
|, business or personal addresses viii be given.
All correspondence should be addressed 70
The Letter Box. care Houston Post. Owing
to the large number OF questions received
answers can not always be given promptly }
Can YOU enlighten US as to the pedigree OF
enehs wss ana SrSsaSis IN thsr sencaees
accounts for the difference IN the Character
istes Of those three natonss What is the
meaning OF Hispaen. J,H.J.
The Spanish people are mixture OF Celt-
J isL. Ibcrian, Phoenicinn. Greek, carthaginian.
Roman, vandal and Arabian blood. The
! French people composed originally OF Kym-
, rio Celts. true Celts and Basques. were niiu-
enecd by several conquering races. Among
These were the Romans. the Vis!soths, the
Ncrmaus. the Arabs. the English and the
spaniards. Tho Italian people are composed
Of the Latin, Umbrian. Oscar and Etruscan
tihcs. all OF whom we're inhabitants Of the
, Ital.an peninsula To answer the second ques-
+, tion must involve laborous study OF every
4
then be mere speculation. There is but
slight difference between the French, Spanish
ard Italian peoples. The Frenchman is srtis-
: TIC. the spnniard generally brutal and Hitter
Q ate and the Italian cunning These traits
I rave been brought about by manifold indu-
enees extremely hard to trace. By Hlspaen
you probably mean Hispania. the Latin name
for Spain, 1.-THE land OF the setting sun"
n How long has the custom Of drinking one
another's health been known7 Ko.V.
History teaches that the ancient Greeks, the
Romans the Assyrians and the Egyptians
| we're in the habit OF drinking one another's
o health at dinner. Indeed. at Athens, the oti-
r quette concerning what may be described as
A thu liquid courteses OF this kind was very
4 strict and elaborate. being known by the
name of "Philothesls" The participants OF
' the repast were in the habit of drinking to one
Il HEother until they could carry no more, and
! then they would pour out the remainder Of
Q the wine on the altar OF any pagan deity that
Eight happen to be handy. At Rome the
i same custom prevailed Post-prandial oratory,
" however, was severely condemned as out OF
). place and. white the Creeks contented them
s,lves with exciaimIng, as they put the CUP
: OF wine TO their lips, II salute YOU be happy, .
ine Npuaub reEtrlCteu themselves 10 the eN'
" cemation. "Propino," which is the Latin 70,
'e II drink your health"
The last congress passed an act appropriat.
q Ing several million dollars TO pay Frehcf
= claims. Does that apply to cotton destroye
J., Ia Fltroh waters by United States warship;
10 during the civil war; FIJI.
No The French spoiation claims are claim.
against the United States. but originally
AGAINST France. for compensation for illeea
captures and condemnations OF American yes
Is sells by the French prior to the treaty o
n 10000, by which It is ALLEGED that the United
ia States abandoned the claims for releas'
:, from the OBLIGATIONS Of the treaties Of IT'S
and thus became liable for their payment
- In 1885 congress authorized the court o
re claims to adiudicate these claims. and il
J. 1891 began to make appropriations for pay
J. mont Of the judgments.
What is the origin and significance OF tn
% expression "a Jews ransom? AIS
al The expression refers 10 the enormous sum
ID exto7ted from the wealthy Jews by the spend
thrift kings, perDiess princes and lawlos
=, harons OF the middle ages. Oppression CT al
kinds including imprisonment and torture
was rtsorted to by the feudal tyrants to oh
~ tain their wealth from the Jews who forme
81 the richest part of the population of all th
countries OF Europe. Sir Walter Scott.
,e "Iyarhoe" speaks of the we'll known stor
is of King John, that ne confined a wealthy Je'
or In one Of his loyal castles, and daily cause
~ one OF his teeth to be torn out until he con
M scented to pay q large sum- which 1t was II
- tyrant's object TO extort from him
be Please give the height CT the WashIngto
mcnl ment. Also the height Of the creates
or O1''0''s' ODE.
he We uresume YOU refer to the Washirgto
monument in Washington. There Is one
H. Baltimore which stands 175 feet high. tt
t. one at Washington reaches 555 feet. tt
:. Eiffel tower at Paris is 1000 feet high, Il
90 Pyramid Of Cheops. Egypt. 4s6 feet: An
ny wern Cathedral. Belgium. 476 feet; strasbui
nd Cathedral France. 414 feet; Pyramid
or Cephrenes. Egypt. 456 feet: ST. Peter
i'll church Rome i4s feet; st. Martins churc
Or. at Landshut Germany Al feet, and salisbui
H. Cathedral. ENGLAND. 400 feet
tn Has any speaker of the house Of represent
tises ever been president of the Unit
- States? C.V.W.
There was only one--James K. Polk of TIE
Fr uessee. Several of the speakers got the nor
or lnatiol for president at the hands OF the
H. resrect,e parties. but they were all d
we feated. to the ntease astonishment OF tbs
lie friends. Mr.. Bell OF Tennessee. Mr.. Clay
III Kentucky and Mr.. Blaine OF Maine were &
othe. three who we're nominated, Mr.. b
was e.e.ted speaker of the hon'e over
A'' pix, whc was elected speaker ly the GO
gress succeeding.
80, WHO was 1t first used Millions for detens
w but not one cent for tributeg AXIS
ne The phrase Millions for defense. but L
'ur one cent Tor tribute" originated in 1885, VIII
ur John Hay made the famous treaty with En-
land which threatened to inyolye the Unit
Il stats, in a war with France. The director
ma would not receive the American ambassad
~ Charles CotesNorih Tinckney but intlmai
NV that tho payment of certain sum mis-
iss settle the dispute Pintiney indignan
md answered with the now historical phrase;
$50 NV teacher told me that the expression 20
crk deal me was profanity. Was she correct
ney her statement. School Cir
Yes. It is really profanity. 1t means no
ing more nor less than ooh, my God" 7
90 way that this result is reached is very SLIM
eeN The expression IS nothing more nor less Il
Oh a corruption OF the Latin. ooh, Deus meu
by n, the French "oh mon Dieu," or the II