The San Francisco call., 1899-08-18
ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS.

ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS.
COMMON MULLEIN-M NJ. M, City.
The common mullein-in botany. Verbas-.
cum thapsus-is not known in San Fran
cisco. but it grows plentifully in Santa
Clara Valley.
LAND IN MENDOCINO-B. NJ. c., Ala
media, Cal For information about unoc-
cupied land in Mendocino County, address
the United States Land Office at Eureka,
Humboldt County
PROHIBITED MARRIAGES-N F.,
City The laws of Oregon prohibit the
marriage of any one nearer of kin than
first cousin and in the State of Utah the
laws prohibit the marriage of first cousins
and those nearer of kin.
NOT THE BUG-W. F. K, Aromas
Monterey County, Cal. The bug sent to
this office for classification is not "the
kissing bug but the Longicornus Coleop-
terra or long-horned beetle 1t is quite
common in Alameda County and not un-
| common in Monterey County
RIFLES-L w. San Mateo, Cal. 1t is
| generally asserted that rifles were first
! invented by Gaspar Zoller of Vienna and
were first made use of at target practices
| in 1893 at Leipsic. In 1900 rifles were used
as a military weapon by armies. The
the British Government in 1851. and was
used by the English forces during the
Crimean war.
BASKET BALL-Reader, Susanvile,
Cal. The game of basket ball is scored
by points, by two methods, goals from
the field and goals from free throws
Basket ball bears a striking resemblance
to association football, but the players
cannot carry or kick the ball; its progress
is restricted to passing, batting and drib-
bling. The game is played in two halves
of twenty minutes each, with a rest of ten
minutes between the first and the second
half. There are five players on a side
| The rules and description of the game can
be procured for you by any book dealer.
NO MORE CONTRACT WIvEs-sub-
scriber, City. This correspondent asks:
Under the laws of California how long
does a woman have to live with a man
| before she can assert herself as his
wife?" California recognizes but one wav
by which q woman can assert herself as
| the wife of a man. and that is by mar
rage by a person duly authorized to SOL
emnize marriage. Contract marriage
that is, where a man and woman agree
to recognize each other as man and wife
| are no longer valid. A woman might
live with a man for any number of wears
and she would have no legal right to an
| nounce herself as the wife of the man
unless she was legally married to him.
FRENCH MILITARY DUTY-P., Oak
land, Cal. Every French citizen is liable
to military duty unless he is exempt by
physical disability or for legal reasons.
He is liable to perform that duty when
20 years of age, and is not released from
the performance thereof until he has at
tanned the age of %. He is required to
| serve three years with the cOlors ten in
the reserve of the active army six i'm
the territorial army and six in the terri
torial reserves. Students and professional
men serve only one year in the army, and
all who have served one year, know
their duties and can read and write may
| be furloughed indefinitely. Most of the
service is merely technical. When a man
has served with the colors he can go
| where he chooses, being liable to be re-
called and sent into the reserve to which
his service assigns him. In the case of
a boy born of French parents in France
who was brought to the United States and
remained until the age Of %, then should
he go back to France he would be liable
to military duty.
IN CASE OF INvAsION-R. H. P,
| Gridley, Cal. By the constitution Con-
gress alone has the power to declare a
national or foreign war, 1t cannot de-
, clare war against State or any number
| of States by virtue of any clause in the
constitution. That constitution cOnfers on
the President the whole executive power.
He is bound to take care that the laws are
| faithfully executed. He is commander of
the army and navy of the United States
| and of the militia of the several States
| when called into the actual service of the
! United States He has no power to inti-
! ate or declare a war either against for
eign nation or QOmeSt1C state, but by
the acts of Congress of February 2S, 1875,
and March 8, 1901, he is authorized to call
out the militia and use the military and
naval forces of the United States in case
of invasion by a foreign nation, and to
| suppress tnsurrection against the Govern
ment of a State or of the United States.
If a war be made by invasion of foreign
| nation the President is not only author
iZed but bound to resent force by force.
| He does not initiate the war, but is bound
| to accept the challenge withor- waiting
for any special legislation or legislative
authority.