Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-05-06
! ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS
BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN.

@. What are illuminated manu-
Scripts?-B. Z. r.
A They are those whose texts are
frightened and heightened by vignetteS
and otherwise decorated in colorS or in
gold and silver Fifteen centuries before
Christ the papyrus rolls Of the Book Of
| the Dead were Illuminated with bril-
hantly colored scenes. Later, as writ
ing became alphabetic, the important
letters were Illuminated.
Q. Did DR.. Mary Walker wear a spe-
I cial kind OF clothes or were they the
! regulation male attire?-C. NJ.
/ A A picture taken of DR.. Walker
shortly after the Civil War shows her
in garments that might be termed non
ocScrlpt.' While she was dressed in
trousers, a garment rather feminine in
cut came to her knees. In later years
her clothes were cut on mannish lines;
black trousers, Prince Albert coat, white
shirt and collar, high silk hat, gave her
the appearance of dapper, smartly
dressed man.
Q. Of whom is the story told that
| her father gave her weight in gold upon
her marriage?-B. G.
A. Betsy Hull is the heroine of a mar
ratiye Of colonial times which merely
relates the fact that her father placed
her in the container on one side of a
large pair of scales and balanced the
scales by pouring into the corresponding
container shining gold pieces.
@. I have a circular offering bonds
on an apartment hotel in Washington.
D. c., which shows an appraised
valuation of $3,026,950. BY inspecting
the tax books 1 find that the assessor
Of the District of Columbia places the
total assessed value of this same prop
erty at S1,135,196. Does this difference
in valuation mean that nearly $2,000,-
600 worth of property is escaping tax
alton, or is the property being sold to
bondholders for nearly 100000 more
| than it is actually worth?-W. F.
A. The assessor of the District of
Columbia says that in fixing the values
| of property for taxation no attention is
paid to advertising circulars, and such
statements do not affect the actual
valuation of property. A fair, full value
Of all property is arrived at through two
methods of computation: First, valu-
alton is placed on the ground and to
this is added the valuation of the build
ing arrived at by cubing the same and
placing a factor per unit of cube.
good fireproof apartment can be built
Today for 40 to 45 cents per cubic
/ foot. Second, this valuation Is tested
by obtaining the gross earning where
possible for the entire year. and what
is meant by the gross earning is that
the apartments should be entirely filled
at fair rental for each apartment. II
apartments are idle there is an allow
ance made for the rental of the vacant
apartments based on rental obtained for
other apartments. The apartment Is
then worth from six to six and half
times the gross yearly rental.
@. How large was the city Of Baby
lon?-E. L.
A. Many expeditions have been sent
out to eXcavate the ancient city Of
Babylon-the first in 1784-but 1t was
not until after the real work of Deutscne
Orient Gesellschaft, begun in 1899, that
the outer wall was traceable. From
this they were able to determine that
the City Of Babylon covered u square
miles.
@. What are municipal warrants?--
M A. N.
A. They are bills, notes, revenue
bonds and warrants issued by any
State, district, political subdivision or
municipality in the Continental United
States. including irrigation, drainage
and reclamation districts.
" Wlldb are JllS 1I4CoolA1 AOA
the perfect female fgure?-C. D. j.
A One compilation is as follows:
Neck, 1872 inches; bust, IS inches;
waist, 26 inches; hip, "a inches; thigh,
20 inches; knee, IA inches; calf, 1874
inches; ankle, inches; upper arm,
101a inches: fore arm, 9 inches; wrist,
6 inches; height, feet inches; weight,
1873 pounds.
@. Is Columbus considered a very
daring mariner?-B. A.
A. Writing of Columbus first voy-
age, one authority says: 1T was per-
haps the bravest exploit ever under
taken, for he was sailing not along the
coast, but straight out into the Sea OF
Darkness as the Atlantic was then
called, every minute farther and far
Their away from the only land he really
knew"