New Britain herald., 1925-08-03

dentlah-Editor.
 e, Can you tell something of the parentage and early life of Men dcssohn, the composer?
 A, He was born on February 3. 1909, at Hamburg. Germany. His father, Abraham, was a banker at Berlin and the son of famous Jewish philosopher. The family was wealthy and cultivated. the mother being the Children's first teacher in music and other subjects. Their Berlin homo was social center. so that careful training under tutors was supplemented constantly by contact with writers, authors, mu- sicians diplomats and many distin- guished visitors, The son had les sons from some of the best teach CTS. His progress was stimulated by weekly musicales held at the family home at which leading singers and players assisted, He began to play in public at nine. and to sing in public at ten. The first of his pub lished works appeared in 1920, when he was eleven years old.
 Q. To what did the slogan used by the democratic party in the campaign of 1S44, "Ftfty-Four Forty or Fight" refer?
 A. This referred to the claims of England to a portion of the Ore- gon country. Those using this slo- gan demanded the whole of the 1 district as far north as 54 degrees 40 minutes, the southern boundary of Alaska.
 c. Does the term "uncut" used by publishers and booksellers in reference to the sleaves of a book mean that the leaves are united at the edges?
 A, When the leaves are united at the edges owing to the folding of the sheets of paper on which ! the book is printed, it is said to be unopened; but when book is un- cut the leaves vary slightly in vi ',h. so that their edges do not form a continuous line, and this is because the books were not put in a cutting machine.
 Q. Is 1t true that we are taller in the morning than we are in the evening?
 A. Yes. The discs of cartilage be- tween the Vertebrae of the back bone yield considerably to the pres sure due to the weight of the body when it is erect, and expand them selves while the body is in a re- cumbent position: This effect may amount to as much as half an inch in the case of a heavy man of, say feet, 10 inches in height.
 c. In the cabinet of which pres ident o fthe United States did lief ferson Davis serve as secretary of war, and what were the dates ot his service?
 A. In the cabinet of Franklin Pierce - 1S53-1S57.
 Q. Where are the federal prisons and penitentiaries located?
 A. Federal penitentiaries are To- cated at Atlanta, Georgia; LeaYen worth, Kansas; and McNeirs Island Washington. There are naval pris ons at Mare Island, California; Bos ton, Massachusetts; and Ports mouth, New Hampshire.
 c. Of the total number of nal, population of the United States how many are married or have beer married?
 A. According to the latest avail able census figures, of the 36.92O, 663 men and boys in the United States over fifteen years of age, 12. 967,565 were single, 21,S49,266 wer Anarried, 1,75S,30S were widowed 2S5,2S4 were divorced and for tn remaining 11o,24O the marital con diton, was not ascertained by tn enumerators.
 Q. Did Darwin teach that maj was descended from a monkey?
 A. No. The belief offered in 1S4 by Darwin and several other Britis' scientists was that study of variou biological, fossil. and other data collected by them, indicated tha reptiles were developed from fisf and birds from reptiles; that all na ture develops In an orderly way everything moving from a simple t a complex state. That Is, instead o each of thousands of kinds of ani
 mals, insects, birds, fish and rep tiles being made separately, the came into being through gradua , changes. Scientists of this schoc 5 held also that man took part in thi } general scheme. Darwin said tha . scientific facts indicate that man
 nearest kin was the old world mon { key But. he added. i've must no ) fall into the error of supposing ths l the earthly progenitor of this whol - simian stock, including man. closet