The mirror., 1921-03-17
QUERIES
NOTICE TO INMATES


ciate and see the opportunity that their spare
hours give toward means OF self education
through correspondent school courses study OF
good literature, acquiring an education in our
tion in connection with their work in our var.
ious departments, will herewith be privileged
to use the Query" column. You are wei.
to send & in any h 81 tho snS co
laboration of Miss Miriam E. Cary, Super
visor of Institutional Libraries, will gladly
endeavor to supply the requested information.
NOTICE-In order to regulate the conduct
of this column inmates must sign their name,
register number and lock number to all queries
submitted for publication. Inmates names, OF
course, will not be published, only the initials
of each querist being used.-Editor.
Q-What is the greatest depth sub
marine has ever reached f-W. O.
A:-Navy department says that the
deepest U. S. submarine ever went was
296 feet. This record was made during
war off the coast of Ireland.
Q-What nationality is a child born
in U. S. of parents in the diplomatic SER
vice of another country ?-I. R.
A-Such child is citizen of the
country which his parents represent. Bri-
tish embassy in Washington, for instance,
is legally British territory and child born
there is the same as born in Great Britain.
Q-Please tell me what different kinds
of marble there are. l understand there
are two, but I do not know their names
or the description of thcm.-H. w.
A:-Marble, in strict usage, designates
only those varieties of limestone which
have become entirely crystalline by the
operation either of heat or pressure, and
sometimes of both combined. Ordinary
limestones are often converted into marbles
by contact with molten igeneous rocks,
such as intensive masses of granite. Its
contained minerals often give marble
variegated color, as they may be red or
brown (e. g., garnet and idocrase}, green
(diopside, actinolite), black (spinnel, gra-
phite), or yellow (mica, chondrodite).
If the limestone was originally pure the
marble is white. Marbles generally take
their names from the mines from which
they are taken.
O-Can you tell me why the saying,
"mind your p's and qs" originated.-J. NJ.
A:-Because in ancient times, behind
the door of each alehouse there hung
slate, on which was written, p, which
stood for pint, and O., which stood for
quart. A number was placed opposite
each customers name, according to the
amount he imbibed. He was not expected
to pay until Saturday night, when he had
to "mind his p's and q's."
OWL you tell me the origin of the
word "foolscap," as applied to paper!-
r. D.
A:-The term 'foolscap" is corruption
of the Italian "folio-carpo" (folio-sized
sheet). The error must have been very
ancient, as the water-mark of this sort of
paper from the thirteenth to the seven
teenth century was FOOLS head, with cap
and bells.
NOTICE-All inmates using the Query Col.
umn and desiring more detailed information to
their queries are invited to use the splendid
reference books in our library to be had on
request The International Text Books are
especially complete in their information on
techinal subjects. Consult the Reference, Use.
full Arts, Literature Chemistry, Biography and
Science divisions of our library catalogue for
diversified subjects.