Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-05-30

| the first class Of two students gradu-
ated on March 8, 1s4l.
Q. How long has Mound Bayou, Miss,
been ruled by Negroes?-!T. B. L.
| A. The town was founded about 4S
years ago by two former Negro slaves,
Isaiah T. Montgomery and Benjamin
| 7. Greene. The population of the town
and all its officials are Negroes. The
town is model, and while it is not one
of the largest Negro towns, it is one OF
the most celebrated.
@. What mathematical problem
earned the epithet of ''pons asinorum"2
| H. S. N.
A. "Pons asinorum" is Latin, and
means asses bridge" 1t is the name
given to the fifth proposition of the
first Book of Euclid. in which it is
required to prove that the angles at the
base of an isosceles triangle are equal
| to one another
@. When was Madame Butterfly"
first produced?-O. T.
A. Puccini's lovely opera was pro-
! duced at La Scala February II, 1904,
| and seemed an utter failure. Three
!, months later 1t was given at Brescia,
and Milan's disapproval was not upheld.
1t started on career of worldwide
| production. and is one of the most pop
ular operas known.
@. Who invented linoleump-A. r.
A. Linoleum was first produced In
England, where the earliest patent was
granted in l636-'painting with oyle
cullers upon wooden cloath." This was
followed by various mixtures of oils and
resins, and in 1851 by the incorpora-
ton of india rubber or gum elastic In
1874 Elijah Galloway softened the india
rubber by heating and Incorporating it
with cork dust. This was rolled into
sheets and marketed as "hamptulicon."
| Owing to the high price of rubber. 1t
did not prove profitable to produce this
article In 1860 Frederick Walton in
| vented a process for oxidizing linseed
OIL to produce cheap rubberlike sub
stitute. The word "linoleum" was orig
inally coined by Mr.. Walton.
@. Are the hours before midnight
better for sleeping or those after mid
night?-R. F. G.
| A. The time of day appears to have
little Importance in influencing sleep,
except that persons trying to sleep in
the day are more frequently upset by
noise and light. Professors of psy-
chology who have conducted tests per-
tanning to sleep have found that per-
sons sleep more soundly when they first
go to sleep than they do in the latter
part Of sleep.
! Q. Is the money invested In machin-
cry in a factory called working capital?
IT. H. j.
A. The money invested in machinery
Is called fixed or permanent capital,
while that called working capital is the
money required to meet current eX-
penses OF industry-Salaries, wages, mar
keting costs, rent, light, heat and raw
materials.
9. Who said paris is worth mass"2
u. G. w.
A. Henry of Navarro, the first Bour-
bon King. who was crowned as a HUI
guenot. used the expression when he
returned to Catholicism.
@. Can Hindu widows take part in
any festive ceremonials?-A. T. T.
A. Saro1ini Naidu says that they
cannot. Their portion is sorrow and
austerity."
F. D. s.
A. John Calvin was Frenchman.
| @. Why do SO many newspapers bear
the name "gazette"?-J. C.
A. The first Italian newspaper was
sold Tor gazetta, small italian coin,
and 1t is generally supposed that the
name gazette" is an application of the
price or the paper to the paper itself,