Evening star., 1925-01-01
ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS
BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN

|: Q. Where is Illinois avenue in the
District?-H. F.
A. 1t is in Petworth. two blocks
east of Georgia avenue and above
Rock Creek Church road.
Q. On the pixies into Washington,
Rockville, Fairfax, Georgia avenue,
ETC., are numerals painted crosswise
on the road. What do they mean?-
G. c. H.
A. Originally the pixies mentioned
in your letter were built as expert
mental test roads by the Govern
menf, which maintained them for
some years. When they could no
longer continue the maintenance of
these roads, they were put back on
the individual county to handle.
These roads were Is feet wide, but
as the years passed on the edges were
badly broke en- and lessened the width
of the road to such an extent that il
was dangerous As this was too
much for the counties to keep up, the
States accepted these roads in 1920
and started a program to widen the
roads to their original width. They put
concrete shoulders feet wide on each
side, thereby making the road 81 feet
in all. In doing this they painted a
line crosswise on the road and, start
feet, as /, 2, 3, 4, s, 6, 71A, making &
the original 15 feet width. To this
they have added the 3-foot shoulders.
Q. What does the name Eastern
Shore" Maryland, include FL. p.
A. All of that portion of the State
east of the Chesapeake Bay is known
as the Eastern Shore.
Q. Do doctors now treat all new
born babies eyes or only those who
have need of such treatment "A. A.
A. Doctors and midwives are re-
quired to give newborn babies eyes
treatment in. order to insure them
against germ infection.
Q. How many people came from
Canada and Mexico last year intend
ing to live in the United States?-
I. T. L.
A Canada sent US 2Os.2sS and
Mexico s5,S3s during the last fiscal
year
Q. Why are the springs on the
front axle Of an automobile a little
longer back of the axle than they are
in front of it?-M. A.
A. 1t is in order to provide greater
fiexibility of the spring without un-
duly prolonging the frame at the
front end, or setting the ankle far
ther back, and so shortening the
wheel base.
Q. What will keep a photostat
of document from fading?-A. X. B.
A. If photostats are properly made
they will not fade.
the use of Il" at the beginning of a
letter2-C. Il.
A. There used to be an unwritten n
rule of letter etiquette to the effect
that it was contrary to good taste to
use the personal pronoun ! as the
first word of a letter. This rule,
however, has not been observed for
many years.
Q. How often was the first Lord
Baltimore in this country?--L. NJ. NJ.
A. George Calvert, the first Lord
Baltimore, came to America twice,
in 1927 and in 1929. His son Cecil
did not visit the colony. but he sent
his younger brother, Leonard, who
became first Governor of Maryland.
@. What is the meaning of "ex
libris" and what is book plate?
w. NJ. Z.
A "Ex libris'' means literally,
from the books Of" 1t is synony-
nous with book plate" Both names
are applied in. the case of a label
printed with the name of the owner,
and usually his arms also, and in
tended to indicate ownership in in
dividual volumes, which is a device
that is nearly as old as the printed
book itself The earliest known ex-
amples are German. The oldest are
certain wood-cuts representing "A
shield of arms supported by an angel,
which were pasted in books presented
to the Carthusian monastery of Bux-
helm about the year 1880. In France
the most ancient yet discovered is
! that of Jean Berland de la Tour
Blance, 1929. In England, that of Sir
| Nicholas Bacon, 1874. The earliest