Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-07-07

used. not only to buy land, but for va
rious social, economic and cultural &C
Invites.
@. Is gold leaf made by hand or by
machinery?-J. E. w.
| A. In the gold leaf industry as 1t has
existed up to the present time only some
Of the preliminary work on the gold
was done by machinery, the finishing
being done by large hammers by hand.
Recently attempts have been made to
mechanic the entire process.
O. What were the political views of
MuSSolini'S parentS?-B. N. S.
A. Benito MusSolini was born in 1882
in an obscure village in the mountain
GUS district Of Romagna near Foil. Italy
His father, who was a blacksmith. was
Socialist. His mother taught an ele-
mentary school and was a radical.
@. Does the United States Civil Serv-
ice Commission take cognizance of the
political or religious Affiliations of ap-
plicantS?-N. H
A. The following is quoted from the
Civil Service rules: mo question in any
| form Of application or in any ex-rr-
nation shall be so framed as TO s'Gox
information concerning the political or
religious opinions or affiliations of any
| applicant nor shall any inquiry be made
| concerning such opinions or affilla-
lions, and all disclosures thereof shall
be dlscountenanced. No discrimination
shall be exercised threatened. or prom
| lSed by any person in the executive civil
service against or in favor of an appli-
cant, eligible, or employee in the CLASH
NED service because of his political or
religious opinions or affiliations"
@. Is it true that Capt. Kidd was not
pirate?-B. s.
A. Recent biographers of Capt. Kidd
state that he was not a pirate and that
the ships he took were lawful prizes
captured in MS legal capacity as a pri-
Vateer. The charge Of selling two ships
of the Great Mogul could have been
met at his trial by the production of
two documents which Kidd had taken
from these ships and which he claimed
proved that they were sailing under
commissions issued by the French East
India Co. and which made them lawful
prizes. These documents Kidd had
handed to his patron Lord Bellomont
and they were not discovered until
some 200 years later in the public rec
ords Office.
Q. How old will canary live TO
bel T F.
A. The normal life span Of a canarv,
according to Carl w. Neumann, is about
"a years.
Q. Where is soapstone found In this
country?-S. D. w.
A. Virginia is the chief producer Of
soapStone. The purer mineral used for
making powdered tale is obtained
mostly in st. Lawrence COUNTY. Y. Y.
but some is produced in Pennsylvania.
North Carolina and California.
@. What is the largest Of the citrus
fruits and what is the smallest?-S. E.
A. Grapefruit is the largest member
OF the citrus family and the kumquat
IS the smallest
@. What is meant by the dead
mans handle'?-R c. c.
A. Is is a safety device on electric
locomo Ives. On the controller handle
by the movement of which the current
is switched on or of, there is a small
button. and unless this button is
pressed the handle cannot be moved
from the of position. If the driver
releases the pressure the handle flies
back 10 the of position and the train
comes to standstill
Q. Where was the ancient CITY Of
Memphis Situated?-N B. V
A Memphis was u miles south OF
Cairo, Egypt. The site of its ruins is
now the village Of Metrahineh