Evening star., 1932-04-28
ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS
BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN.

Stop a minute and think about this
fact. You can ask our information bu-
reau any question of fact and get the
answer back in q personal letter. 1t is
a great educational idea introduced into
the lives OF the most intelligent people
in the world-American newspaper
readers. It is q part Of that best pur-
pose of a newspaper-service. There
is no charge except 2 cents in coin or
stamps for return postage. Get the
habit Of asking questions. Address your
letter to The Evening Star Information
Bureau. Frederic J. Haskin, Director,
Washington, D. c.
@. Do the women of New Zealand
vote?-A. o. N.
A. They have had the franchise since
1898 and make use Of it almost as free
ly as the men do. Mors than rs per
cent cast ballots.
@. In roulette, what do the express
sions manque. en- plein, a cheval and
un carre indicate?-R. Z. w.
A. Manque means a bet that the
number coming up will be from l TO
18: en- plein Is q bet on single num-
Der: a cheval is bet on the line be-
tween two numbers and un carre is q
DeG on u CTOcS llIlc JdhlIiB III AOuI HutIl-
bers. The odds paid on these bets are,
respectively even money, IS to l, IT to
l and 8 to l.
Q. When was Mount Vernon built?-
A. G. G.
A. 1t was built in 1743 by Lawrence
Washington. the half brother of George
Washington.
@. How much do opera glasses mag
nify?-H. w.
A. Usually the magnifying power is
from two to three, since the object is TO
make a pleasant and bright picture,
rather than TO make out details.
O. What is galyak fur?-A. H.
A 1t is the pelt of aborted lambs Of
either of the two breeds of Asiatic-
Russian sheep known as Bokhara and
Karakul. 1t Is an inferior fur, since the
hair has just begun to show above the
skin. A moire effect is sometimes, al
though not usually, present.
Q. How far should the orthodox Jew
travel from his home on the Sab
bath?-P. w.
A. DR.. Shapiro, chief Of the Semitic
Division Of the Library of Congress,
says that among orthodox Jews a Sab
bath days journey is limited to 1000
cubits to and from a dwelling place
A man taking his dwelling place as a
center may move on the Sabbath for
ward and back 1000 cubits each way
as many times as he pleases within a
circle the radius of which is 1000
cubits. The greatest length. therefore
in line which a man may travel is
1000 cubits.
w. M. 'O
A. In the English language, neke
name or exc name appears as early as
l440. Possibly it comes from nick,
meaning to cut, as nickname is uSu-
ally cutting Of the full name.
@. When was the earliest violin made
OF which there is a record?-J. F.
A. The earliest of which there Is a
record appeared in Brescia, in 1850.
Shortly afterward, around 1875, violins
were being made in Cremona by Andrea
Amati, and from that time until the
beginning Of the nineteenth century
Cremona was the most important violin
center in the world
@. What State has the largest num-
Der Of oldfashioned small town and
country stores?-A. L. NJ
A. Texas leads with 52,522.
Q. What is the origin of the judicial
oath?-J. z. D.
A. The custom of an oficial's taking
an oath OF once faithfully TO administer
the laws did not originate with the
Christian religion. From the earliest