Evening star., 1926-11-15
ANSWERS IO QUESTIONS
BY FREpssrc.J. HAsK1N.

10 obtain q copy OF the Oldest almanac
IN the world. Publications OF this
Find are of great value, and are kept
in museums. One Of the oldest al
fnanacs Of the world is one dating
from the thirteenth and fourteenth
centuries, which is kept in the Brit
ish Museum. Another is in Corpus
Christi, Cambridge, England. Ben
:amin Franklin's Poor Richards Al
inanac Is one Of the earliest published
in the United States. 1t began in
1733.
@. Has Zane Grey always been q
wrfter7 II not. what was his former
employment?-A. o. s.
A. In 1898 Zane Grey received the
degree Of D. D. s. from the Univer-
ity of PENNSYLVANIA. He practiced
dentistry in New York from 1898 un-
I'll 1904. Since then he has followe1s
literary career.
@. How many miles of railroad
have the United States, Hawaii and
Alaska?-C. F. s.
A. According to the latest mileage
statistics the United States has $780,
222 miles Of railroad; Hawaii, 251
miles Of railroad, and Alaska, 79S
miles.
Q. What Is stellite?--F. O. H.
A. The Bureau OF Standards says
that stellite Is an alloy of cobalt ard
chromium discovered in 1899 by FL
wood Haynes.
O. We're witches burned at the stake
In this country2-L. @. G.
A. Records Of witchcraft do not tn
dicate that women were actually
burned at the stake IN any Of the
States.
note for 10000 marks worth now2--
NJ. W.
A. The German reichsmark IS
quoted at 1915 cents. Prior to June
5, 1925, German paper marks We're
converted at the rate of one trilliou
paper marks to one reich5mark. They
are of no value now.
Q. Do they have Girl Reserves and
Girl Scouts in England?-R. L.
A. There are Girl Reserves In Eng
land and also Girl Guides, who cor
respond to our Girl Scouts.
@. Who gave the name "Arling-
ton" to the cemetery near Washing
tonT-M. J. r.
A. The mansion at Arlington, Va,
was so named by the Custis family
after an old homo of theirs on the
Eastern Shore of Virginia. This
other place was named for the Earl
Of Arlington. who had received IL as
part of a large grant of land from
Charles II.
Q. How large is Regents Park
". L.
A. This London park contains 47O
acres and contains the Geological Gar
dens and the Royal Botanic Garden.
@. What is the story back OF the
expression having a white elephant
on your hands"?-A. I. w.
A. It is said to have originated in
the action Of an Eastern potentate,
who, when he decided to impoverish
or destroy a courtier. presented to the
individual one Of the sacred white
elephants. The cost Of the custody
and upkeep Of this animal was so
great that its effect was to reduce the
courtier to poverty,
@. How much does the pitch Of a
mans voice vary from that Of q
woman's voice IN. A.
A. The pitch of a male voice may
range from 100000 vibrations q REQ
ond. and OF female voice from 900
600.
Q. What Is meant by the calling of
the sea" in Tennyson's 'Enoch Ar
den"?-C. r. ID.
A. The calling Of the sea" is an old
English term for a ground swell When
this occurs on a still night the sound
Is sometimes heard for miles inland
Inhabitants Of seaside towns looked
on it as a summons bt death Tenny-
son refers to this phenomenon again
In Crossing the Bar"-''And one clear
call for me-
The GnSicerS to questions printed
here each day are specimens picked
from the mass Of inquiries handled bB
the great information bureau main
tu4ned By The Evening Star In Wash
tn0tOn. ID. @. This rdlMdbIe serUice
Is for the free use Of the public. Ask
any question Of fact you may 1Cdnt to
bnO,U and DOu l0H oct an immediate
reply. Write plainly, HcloSc ? cents
In stamps for return poStd0e and Gd-
dress The Erenin0 star Information
Bureau. Frederic j. HdSkin, director,
Washington, d. @.