The times., 1899-05-14

t~NSfHN@ a'Aa o. sAsAu va <fIAh
What quadrupeds constitute the genus Equus.
to which the horse beionss3 A. S.
| The horse the donkey. the zebra, and
the quagga are the chief members OF this
family.
What is the Postage on letter to Maniiaf
| II to a member of the army o. navy. a
letter goes at domestic rates. cents an
ounce; If to a civilian, foreign rates,
cents per half ounce.
What country carries on the largest business
with the Samoan Islands and in what proper
tion is the business divided among other eoan-
| tries? CONSTANT
England gets about half of it. and near.y
third is divided pretty evenly between
| Germany and the United States.
How many men did Napoleon have in his Rus-
sian eaniPsign7 How many did Russia haye7
| TACIr-
The army of invasion consisted OF &c.,
| o0O men. Russia had scarcely 20o, 900
when the invasion began. but by drafting
her forces were quickly increased.
says that camara's fleet passed through the
| Suez Canal; that it neyer any further
than Port said. Who is right? : S.
A. This fleet Of one good ship and sew
the French king as told in the nursery
i rhyme. 1t went through the canal and
then went back again.
| Is it true that the last milk taken from eow
in milking is richer than that which flows at
| first? A-P-
Yes; test of the lrst and the last hale
pints showed. respectively. 1.o7 and 1895
per cent of fat. The period that elapses
| between milkings influences the matter,
too SO that as a rule, three milkings
day result in a larger yield than do two
milkings, and in richer milk.
How should man secure position as rail-
road postal clerk! ".
He should apply to the Civil Service
| Commission, and having filled out the ap-
plication blank that will be sent. should
| return it to the Commission. He will then
be notified when the next examination
takes place. One feature of the examina-
tion for this branch OF the service is ex-
ercise in reading manuscript addresses.
How did the name 'knob" come to be applied
| to a hillock! n I.
1t is modification of the Dutch "knop,'
meaning button. Knob means different
| things in different localities In Maryland
and Virginia the highest peaks of the Glue
Ridge are knobs, but in Kentucky round
prairie country the word is usually applied
to mounds that look like truncated cones.
Why should plaster used for cuts and bruises
be called eourt-plaster? B.
The name comes from the use of such
plasters by women of royal courts. In the
days of King Charles fashionable women
put on their cheeks plaster crescents.
stars, circles or crosses, even such designs
as ship in full sail or coach and four.
Under Queen Anne these devices became
badges of political partisanship-
claim that the human eye is a remarkably
fine optical instrument. and friend contends
that it is imperfect; who is righti ERIC
Both are right The eye has an imperfect
lens and receiving plate that is not uni
formly sensitized: but in its capacity for
quick adjustment il surpasses artificial
cameras. The wonder of the eye is that
we see with it. 1t is known that nerve
carries sensation to the brain. but fur
ther than that analysis does not go.
What is the origin Of the phrase Where the
! wicked cease from troubling and the weary are
| at Test?' 2. With what velocity does the earth
move around its axis and around the suns
y. ". c. H.
There the wicked cease from troubling
and there the weary be at rest is the
seventeenth verse Of the third chapter of
Job. 9 The mean velocity of the carth's
| Journey around the sun is 110S miles
minute, and the velocity with which an OBJ
iect at the equator rotates is 17.3 miles
| minute.
have read that ser is distinguishabie in
| plants: can you tell if there growths that
are difficult to classify, between the vegetable
| and animal kingdoms? W. A. v, Jr-
There are many such. The line that
| separates the lower portions OF the two
kingdoms cannot be precisely defined, and
both may fairly be regarded as branches
Of one great group. inseparable in the most
lowly members and widely divergent in
| the upper ones. What are called slime
molds, of which there are 400 species. are
organisms of doubtful affinity.
How is compass arranged on a warship so
the steel will not affect the needle? d. W
There are many mechanical ways of cor
| recting the deviation of the compass
| Among them are placing the compass sew
eral yards above the deck. using one or
two magnets, having a mass Of soft iron
near the level Of the compass, and by de-
pending on the mutual action OF two COM
| passes put side by side Such mechanical
corrections are not always proof against
changes of geographical position, and what
are called deviation tables are prepared 10
help the navigating officers.
What have been the results of the law that
placed special taxes on Oleomargarine? Is
there such thing vegetable butter? D. VI.
1t has resulted in the collection of about
s., 600 600 a year, but has failed 10 stop
the manufacture OF this product. which.
indeed has steadily increased. Butter Is
higher and oleomargarine is lower in price
in consequence OF the law. Vegetable but
ter is the name applied to several vegetable
fats like that from cocoanut palm and shea
The last named is made from nut, and in
some parts of Africa is used as a substi-
tute for butter.
When and where was Gen. Earl Van Dom born;
when did he graduate from West Point. and what
service had he before the civil war! >. Where IS
he buried? r. e. C.
He was born near Port Gibson, Miss.
on September IT. 1920. and graduated from
the United States Military Academy in
1912. At the beginning of the Mexican var
he was first lieutenant, and was twice
promoted. He was a major of cavalry
when the civil war began. but resigned
and became a colonel In the Confederate
service. He died May s. 1868, at Spring
Hill, Tenn. 2. We do not know.
What was the origin of the Barney stquea
KING.
No one appears to know the origin OF
the Blarney Stone, or whence it got its
miraculous power OF endowing with the
gift OF blarney anyone who kisses it, 1t
is at the top of tower of Blarney Castle,
and has been kissed by generations be-
coming so badly worn that the date reg
originally inscribed on it has been obIiter-
ated. Blarney itself means literally a lit