Pueblo chieftain., 1921-10-02
VI0lJNOED As POSSE BATTLES X. X. K.
The Spof Light

The SpOf Llghf
The most popular indoor sport at
the present time is one or another
variation of the old fashioned game
of Foolish Questions. The French
word that means the same thing Is
"auestionnairc, the only difference
being that the latter is harder to
pronounce on this side of The Atlantic.
To play the game al that is needed
is sheet of paper, a fountain pen or
a pencil and n list of questions, which
arc to he answered or not, according
to circumstances. Some folks stick
the pencil into n dIngus on wheels
called ouijs, but hat makes no dit
ference with the results.
According to one theory the game
Of QUESTIONABLE was invented by tho
United States census bureau, which
makes business of sending agents
from door TO door every ten years,
asking folks whether they are alive
or dead, white or black, married or
single, how long they lived there and
when they expect to move.
When the insurance companies re-
fused to take any more risks on cen
sus agents. it WAS decided to send the
more disturbing questions in printed
form thru the mail.
Another theory is tina, the question
nsire WAS invented by the person
who started the trouble for Job.
After he had answered all the ques-
irons three friends could ask him, they
sent Job a auestionnsire. and his rep
utation as the most patient man was
permanently established.
Among other evils, the World War
Was responsible for new and varled
forms Of ouestionnaires- There was
the military questionnaire in when
fellow had to tell whether be was
nbic and willing To make the world
arc for democracy, and if so Why
no,7 There was the food question
naire that wanted to know how much
rrub Won had on hand and how long
/, would last you if your appetite re-
NAMED fairly good, or otherwise.
The income tax questionnnire de-
serves separate paragraph. IL was
chiefly notable for the ono question 1t
didn I ask, which was, "What do you
think of the income tayY' IT that
had been included, the government
would have received a vast amount
Of important information that was
wholly reliable.
Another form of qucs'ionuaire Is
The efficiency test, or the psychology
trst. which has como to he so fashlon-
able in certain quarters. You ask 3
man how much is two and two. and II
lie scratches his nose, you can tell
hin, whether he should be a carpenter
or an insurance agent. You don !
really know, bu, you tell him, anyway
A great deal of ingenuity has been
expended in preparing these qoes-
tionnaires, and even Thomas A. Edi-
On, who ought to know better, wrote
out a list. Maybe he could answer
hem himself, and maybe not, but 1t $
~ cinch he couldn't answer a similar
list made by some one else. 1t | was
r,in- such a questicnnaire as an m
telliCcnce test, would give the
highest rating TO the fellow that
wouldn't answer any of them and
tried to lick the man that asked HIM.
And now cverybody's trying IT. !
get oueslionnaires every day from all
kinds of people. 1t takes n good part
of my time TO answer questions Tor
the federal government and the state
government and other institutions or
persons that | have TO answer. and
il would take all my time or moro If
tried to answer All tho questions
from all th- people that want TO know
all about 4 hundred different things
that arc none of their business.
It's regular epidemic. and some
persons have il SO had that they are
not satisfied with asking foolish qucs-
iions of everybody on earth, but they
actually think they have found
means Of disturbing the rest Of de-
parted spirits and or setting them 10
answering questions by slate writings