The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-01-15
QUESTIONS AND ANSrERs.

:, - . /, - = = y " - : =
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS.
when did Port Arthur fair This was the bet
Is Sr % al Il SSf So iiaoe ceased on
isfsd 20 syrtendtf ' 1a dF Sc a q jan said Port
Arthur falls az Inst" Otncr views have " mat
jan. 1, were signed Others that II did not fall
until the Japanese occupied II. J. y.
Port Arthur did fali on New Years Day. fact
which those who had she forethoughi 70 read
THE SCN tho neat day discovered. Tue term is a
technical ono OF the military profession and mubi
be Interpreted In accordance with tho custom OF
war. The lall OF the fortress. the surrender' be
came fact when the defender. al 0 o'clock In the
evening OF Jan. /, sent out his nag, an ackno wedg
nent that he was beaten; the negotiations have to
do with matters which follow tho fact OF surrender
namely the care OF tho wounded. tho status OF com
oatAnts and the tacilltAhon OF the transfer Of Au-
shortly.
Can you tell mo something about the history
OF tobacco smoking, ! remember the story OF
but didn't the Chinese and other nations use the
weed long beforer II they did. surely It vas known
i should be Obliged II YOU could teli me where
could nnd history OF something that could get
ject. HAYDos JONES.
There 10 be found in the libraries a few books
on tobacco, mainly collections OF verse and anec-
dotes. but they do not TOUGH upon the question
hero raised OF rcColumbian knowledge OF to-
bacco. The remarkable rapidly OF It's spread over
the whole world is enough 10 arouse wonder De
CAndole. however looking at 1t as systematic
botanisl lists the plant as one strictly American In
origin. Certain objects have been found In aeo.
lthic deposits In Europe and In the oess In China for
which the explanation has been proposed that they
OF the nature OF pipes, They rather resemble
cgArholders in that the larger cavity Is not set
al any considerable angle with the tube. Some OF
them seem TO have been subjected TO internal heat
ing. Even though these objects were really used
In smoking. that does not prove that tobacco was
used In them. for the. shamanistiC tumlgation OF
disease with a variety OF dry herbs seems TO have
been wdcs pread. So far as any positive record
exists the nrst mention of tobacco 10 European
literature is contained IN the phrase of Las Casns
that tho Indians brought on to Columbus on his
ship -hojAs secas que debe ser una muy pre-
oAdA"-drted leaves which seem 10 be held IN nigh
esteem.
A says tina, Eco is the italian for behold there is.
&c Is says that It is not only an Italian word as
above stated but also an old Latin word which
neye P' been ISsin Word and that Under der no cir
clmstsncos could the phrase Eee, homo be
altered into Eco homo the latter seeo being Italian
and homo Latin. o. s. V.
A is partly right In the retoinder and for the
wrong reason. Eco homo could not replace seee
homo. for tho that there is a false concord
between tho dauvc and tho nonlnAtvo. Eees
Is classic Latin and seco Is modern Italian for the
nierjecuonal behold" hut when a AYERS that
eco has never been a Latin word there arises grave
doubt. That scos Is the correct form in classic
LAtinty there be no dispute But parallel
with the classic Latin. tho court dialect the speech
IN which tho ordtGo obIiquo alone possible.
there marched Latin OF the streets. This is the
Latin that lived. the other parsed TO death.
This street Latin Is the immediate parcn. OF the
medieval confusion OF tongues out of which the
Italian has arisen. PlAutus and Terence are fun
OF street Latin. tho language that the ancient
Roman used when he came down OF his high horse.
the Latin hc swpre In Except for theso comedies
and for scanty traces preserved In the grams We
have very little record OF this speech OF the people
But IL docs happen that classic Latin,y has pre-
served OF this folk speech the aecusauve seeun
and eeeam with corresponding plurals seeos and
tcens. masculine and feminine. With these evil
dences OF infection not warranted In denying
tho possibility Of da,lvo form eco,
Plea SO tell me the pronunciation OF Jlu-ii;su.
c. b. &
II cannot be shown 10 complete satisfaction with
out the aid OF key TO pronunciation and the en-
ployment OF characters not found among news
paper fouuis. The has Its usual English sound;
the " is dlphthongal and may be most closely APP
proxlmated b. the re In due as dlstn guished from
do In Jltsu the Anal u is In effect elded when tho
word stands alone precedes vowel. and even
before consonant II is but eighty marked. As
several friends have asked as TO the pronunciation
OF other Japanese words appearing In the news.
1t may be not Smiss give brief statement The
vowels all have the continental value, tho con-
sonants their value az found In TIE English alpha
bet, aud soft before and {. Drecediag another
vowel, Is so slightly spoken as 10 merge into the
vowel which follows and thus make an Irregular
diphihong. tnh u Is most commonly ellted and
the accent falls most frequently on the ponuit.
The japanese authority VINO las supplied thls
synopsis remarks thst II the rules are followed q
japanese might probably recognize what word was
meant when II came from Caucasian tongue.
but tina, there so many sounds In japanese
unreprtsenied BY any char cter In the English
alphabet that transiiterstlon can be no more than
a moderately close approIins ton.
me question has come UP as to the use OF the
word ESQ lire,- slae contendng that II should
only be used after a lawyers name and the o thcr
any gentleman. ERss r. BA,Ngs.
The question arises periodically. sometimes
Though personal vanity. sometimes through
praiseworthy desire 10 be In good form. Il is
purely local and Is nowhere reduclble to any law
other than that OF local custom. Among The Eng
fish speaking portion OF the British Empire the
general custom Is 10 employ Il with the name OF
any who may be classed among the gentry.
reservlng the lcss honornc prcn1 Nj for those In
trade" But In this country, where there is
social distinction between the gentry and those IN
trade no such rule can lie However. II one will
but acknowledge the indefeaslbity Of the night
OF every adult male citizen not actually In the hands
OF the lw to use the title the Hon. tho question
20 the lower rank need not arise
How many words In the English language end
In ct1ns / think only h,e, scion ior one.
J. n BRooks,
This is = question Which may stimulate the 20
,erest OF those curious IN the tag ends OF the Ian
ruage. While engaged In the investigation It
might be Instructive IN way to trace on, the use
OF tho termination dout. said 10 be employed In
but four words. Such research must have been
mads BY players ~ logouachy, II any survive
That game had a New England on gin and formed
a harmless alternative for the innocuOus game OF
authors In households where real playing cards
wer. held in holy horror. cards capable OF imam.
cal value when three ont OF ave were OF the same
KIND Germane TO this IS tho reply that Prof.
Whitney made to a student who asked II any word
in English contained an the vowels "Unquos-
tlonably- he answered. yet ! can only admire
the Industry that will Sc Elk 10 discover tt
During the night period lasting sir months in
ths polAT regions is the darkness intense as our
nights here and can the Inhabitants pursue Their
daily vooAtionsl PAUL T.
viewed solely matter Of optics The Arctic
night is as dark as any night Explorers In high
latttudrs SAY. however, that there many ale
Wat ons OF the obscurty. The stars flash keenly.
the moon comes along IN regular succession Of
phases. the snow surface relieves the gloom under
conditions OF the utmost absence OF light, and the
surora poreaHs is the nnest kind OF an nlumlnant
rtplorers ali agree that their pass the winter
night without much dnrculty n only there are