The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-04-22
QUESTIONS AND ANsWERs.
Did Pontius Plate commit suictdey What author
n any. Is there for such q belief:

did Pontlus Plate commit SulcldeD what author
- 49," CSTaRRIsR BARKGR.
The last appearance OF the procurator OF judoA
In pr6fanC history was when he WAS cited to Rome
I In 81 to answer for his administrator OF his prov
ince. and IN Particular to. Justify his %cnuelties In
quclllng an Instruction AT Samaria, this being
recorded In Josephus. Eassoius dist. Ecri, lI"5)
Is authority for the story OF his suicide. The chron
icle of llslalas afirms that he was behcaded In
the reign OF Nero, Among the legends of the
fate OF PLATE are these, all plous fables; USre
garding the fact that plate did not reach Rome
until AFTER the death OF Tibehus. some chronicles
declare that that Emperor degraded him and sent
him 10 die In exile. According to another account
he was snitten With renhorse and dragged out a
Wretched existence, branded, upon his brow with
a stigma OF reprobation which marked him as the
executioner OF Christ and q thing to be stunned OF
all men. The old legend that he died al Nlrnne, In
Dauphiny, Is . later derivation from Mons PlatuS:
originally Mons Pilestus. the mountain hooded
with snow, It became corrupted TO PllAtus and
tho eponymlc story arose. A late legend reciteS that
when Ckllg ula decreed his death PLATE com
mittsd suicide at Rome, the body was consigned 10
tho Tiber, which then overlooked It's banks, and II
became necessary to carry the corpse To Gaul
where II was deposited In a deep mountain pool
beneath Mons Pilatus. The apocryphal writings on
Pontius PLATE include his acts. preserved In Justin
and Tertullian: and tho sentence" II pretended dis
covery IN Aaulleia, written in, Hebrew letters ON
parchment, but Of which nothing but the italian
translation was ever seen. A text OF the latter
has within the month been found In the Thieves
Market In the city OF Mexico and Is astounding
the credulous.
what is understood by the term figured mum;
beB and how does the term artsei Are not all
numbers fCuresI PHiLoMArH"'
The reference Is probably to ngurnte numbers.
Formerly there were many clRssihcations OF num-
bers. but In popular usage outside OF mathematical
work the only survival Is the class OF odd and even.
The nguraie numbers are an old Greek device OF
greater curiosity than utility. The nAthemn
tioiAn Hypsioles formulated the rule: ~ as
many numbers as you please are set out al equal
Intervals from l. and the interval Is !, their sur1iSa
triangular lumber: II the interval Is ?. q square,
n 8. a pentaEon, and generally the number OF angles
IS greater by two than the interval The sci So,
0. 10. is arc triangular. as may easily be shown
by arranging the respective number OF dots in
Diminishing balanced lines; so, also, 4, 0. TO-. Is are
square. The same system has been extended 30
space OF three dimensions: the numbers +,,io, 20
are pyramidnl. and the series 8. "a. "a oubical.
On what authority is IT that Judas 1scariot Is
represented as having red hair. There is, of course.
no reference TO II In the New Testament.
This feature Is only one OF the many things which
grow I'D In the apocryphal and sadly scandalous
legends Of the early Church concerning the traitor
disciple. It's very old characterization, but no III
Innate authority for the ruddyl locks Is discovered.
The French have a little story that is to the point.
" "A red headed man camo into q parlor where, among
others. was q jesuit. The latter remarked to his
neighbor In an undertone: That man Is as red
headed as Judas This sally Of inopportune
erudiuon cost him dear. The newcomer, who
had overheard the remark, promptly replied: IT
Is not at all certain. sir that Judas had red hair;
It has been proved only that he was ofthe compaonte
De Jtsus'"
in salary and Back pay'' in VIVA, yer yWssisI
BY the act Of March 8, 1878, the salary OF the
President was Increased from $4,000 to $4,000;
that of the Chief Justice was increased TO Si0.5oo;
OF the Vice President. oflcers OF the Cabinet, AS
ISOLATE Justices and Speaker TO $4,000; OF Senators
and representatives TO $500. So far as concerns
the members OF Congress this Increase was made
retroactive for the two year term just ending
the back pay feature. The popular objection TO
the salary grab was so pronounced that there
could be no mistaking II and the act of January 20.
1874. repealed all OF the former law except the
provisions relating TO the President and the Su-
preme Court. Many Of the congressman who
took the back pay covered 1t into the Treasury
again when the popular clamor arose.
Is radlum q mineral, . vegetable or a product Of
chemistry Where Is 1t found and how prodGced'
1t Is n metallic element. produced in its free state
as an element by nice chemical analysis. = II occurs
in nature In tho mineral pitchblende In excessively
minute quantities. Pltchbfende Is somewhat widely
distributed. the principal source OF the material
that has lent Itself most readily to the segregation
OF the element being In Austria. The recognition
Of the element came at the close OF a long series
Of INVESTIGATIONS into bodies possessing radio
activity. The whole subject is stu engaging the
Efforts OF. physicists and fresh discoveries may
be expected.
Has there ever been found a dia mond larger tina n
name and the place Of discovery DIAMoSp
The precedence OF the koh ! moor Is rathor rD-
mantle than based upon the actual carats OF Its
weight. for 1t Is only 1924 carats In Its present
state. although 1t Is said to have weighed 7e+ carats
before Its repeated cuttings. Other cut diamonds
which surpass II In weight are the Orion OF 1876
oarats. the Victoria OF $50 carats, the De Beers of
2sS carats, the Regent Of 1870 carats and the Tiffany
OF i2S carats, The greatest diamond OF all times
Is the Premier, lately discovered In South Africa,
weighing uncut 3,oa2 carats and about as large asa
good sized hunk Of furnace coal. .
According to the latest available figures. how do
Rio de Jsnsiro AND buenos Ayres compare 10 re
These ngures are taken from the current volume
Of the S~tstesman's Year Book: 'Buenos Ayres In
the census taken May 10, 1895, had a population
! Of b6s, s5I: estimated for December 81. 1908, eol ,26e:
and whitaker assigns It a population In 1905 Of q
million In round numbers. In 1890 the population
OF Rio was 81, 1851; In 1900. 10000; but the current
whitaker assigns to II for 1905 6tp7a. The me
tropolis of the River Plate is found not only larger
than Rio at these several periods, out enjoying a
! higher rate OF growth.
Please decide II the English Of this statement is
] fscturersi In the United States" The word biggest
/ Is the point At issue. IRVING DAVIS.
So II would seem. very properly at Issue, The
English Is not correct for the reason that II IN
wolves such an amphibology as should seriously Up
terfere with the employment of the sentence. II
such a statement about shirt waists were to be
published In the streets Of Askelon II is greatly to
be feared that the daughters OF the Phillstines
would rejoice.
Please help me to Identify a poem which has
something 20 do with little supper and no place to
| sleep. know that this Is q shabby way TO recollect
verse. but my memory for Jingle spoor:
This may answer the description. It by Charles
william Stubs In the second stanZa of The Con
science: Happy go Lucky"
With little to sup on
And nowhere to sleep,
The little will much be
II the little can keep.
Please inform me as TO the location OF the Mills
apartment house in New York. 2, Is there any
pewy company dealing In foreign publications.
HENRr o. WAGNER.
No Mills apartment 10 found In the list OF apart
rhent houses. Mills House No. / is at loo Blocker
street. Mills House No. 2 is at 10 Rivington street
and . third Ia planned for erection on the north
east corner Of Thirty sixth sgeet and Seventh
-..--.. . 1hs aforementioned Neua CntnNnNN no