Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-11-07
ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS
BY FREDERIC J. HAsKIN.

washington Is the worlds greatest
StorehouSe Of all kinds OF knowledge.
You can draw on It free OF charge
through our bureau there. Any ques-
ton of fact you may ask viii be
answered promptly in a personal letter
to you. Be careful to write clearly. give
your full name and address and inclose
your inquiry to The Evening Star In
formation Bureau, Frederic j. Haskin,
director, Washington, ID. G.
@. For whom was Howard University.
at Washington, named?-O. B. N.
A. This important Negro university
was named for o. o. Howard, a native
of Maine, a brigadier general and corps
commander in the Union Army in the
Civil War and in subsequent Indian
wars. He was commissioner Of the
Freedmen's Bureau in reconstruction
days and was noted for his interest in
the elevation of the colored race. He
was a leading doncr Of the uriversity's
endowment.
E. Z +. What is the Apple Of Di''0Fd'-
A. According to Greek mythology,
the Apple Of Discord was the golden
fruit thrown among the Olympian
divinities by the Goddess Of Dtscord
(Eris), bearing the inscription, for
the Fairest" Aphrodite (Venusl {,
! Hera Juno, and Pallas (Minerva)
became competitors for 1t, and Its
award to the first by Paris SO irf'anle q
the jealousy and hatred OF Hera 20 all
of the Trojan race (to which Paris
belonged) that she did not cease her
Vaccinations till Troy was destroyed.
! This story is introduced in Tennysons
"Oenone."
@ Why is It considered bad luck to
break a mirror?-M. c.
A. Lillian Eichler says in her book,
"Customs of Mankind: Since very
early times the mirror has been used
in diyination, in attempts TO read 1u-
ture or past An early belief was tlat
one saw the will of the gods in a mir
ror. To break one accidentally, tnere-
fore, was interpreted as an enort OF
the gods to prevent a person from
seeing into the future. This was con-
strneS as warning that the future
held unpleasant things. Among highly
superstitious people the breaking OF
mirror came to be looked upon as a
death omen. Somehow this super
stitioils belief has prevailed and still
exists, even among educated people.
@. What is the Judge Baker Founda-
A. The Judge Baker Foundation was
! incorporated under the laws OF Massa-
chusetts on April 26, 1917, "for the pur-
nose of promoting the better UNDER
| Standing of juvenile delinquents which
| admit of desirable development and the
WAYS and means by which to develop
them. establishing and maintaining
clinic, medical, psychological or other
kind. which shall study, examine and
make diagnoses, prognoses and reports
ON Juvenile delinquents." The founda-
ton aims to carry on civic and educa-
tional purposes, thereby establishing
and maintaining living memorial to
| Harvey Humphrey Baker, flrst justice
of the Boston Juvenile Court.
O. What are the % languages men
toned In newspaper items as being
spoken by an official Of the State De-
partment?-R. B.
A. The chief Of the Bureau Of Trans
lating. Wilfred Stevens, speaks and
writes the following languages Arabic,
Armenian, Bulgarian, Chinese, Czech,
Dakota Indian (Sioux), Dano-Norwe-
Uian, Dutch, English, Esperanto, Finnish,
French, Georgian, German, Greek. Hun
earian, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Per-
sian. Polish, Portuguese, Rumanian,
Russian, Spanish, Turkish, Jugoslavlan
and Ukrainian.