Evening star., 1934-04-13
ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS
BY FREDERIC ]. HASKIN.

Q. When is National Child Health
day?-E. r. p.
A. It has been fixed on May / by
act Of Congress.
q. Why do people close their eyes
when kissing?-D. L.
A, The Public Health Service says
that the best reason it can give Is
that the eyes cannot see past the
near point. During the act Of kissing
the faces Of the two participants are
SO close together that the eyes Of one
person cannot focus upon the face Of
the other and that is the reason the
eyes are instinctively closed.
@. Is the wine called claret so
called on account Of its color?-T. H.
A. On the contrary, the color is
named for the wine, which gets its
name from the old French clariet,
dimunitive Of clair, meaning clear.
@. Are Danes and swedes good
farmers?-G. j.
A. Both the Danes and the Swedes
are excellent agriculturists. Sweden
and Denmark are highly developed
agricultural countries, and these peo-
pie have been agriculturally inclined
for centuries. In addition, they are
used to q rigorous climate, which
makes them vigorous, and they are
extremely thrifty and industrious.
q. OF what nationality is Elizabeth
Bergner, who has the stellar role in
Catherine the Great"?-W. v.
A. She is an exiled German Jewess
@. Please give some information
about Rubenstein's composition,
"Kamennoi- -Ostrow."-R. E. r.
A. "Kamennoi- -Ostrow' Cor Kamen-
moi Island) takes its name from a
popular fashionable resort en- the
Kamennoi Island In the River Neva,
where Rubenstein spent many vaca-
ton days. Each one Of these short
pieces is tonal portrait of one of the
friends and acquaintance made by
Rubenstein while there. During the
years 1852-l854 Rubenstein wrote
these short compositions while he
served as court pianist to the grand
duchess Of Russia.
@. How are questions handled in
the office Of the Haskin Information
Service?-L. O. M.
A. The incoming letters are opened
at mailing table, stamped with the
date and taken in great basketfuls to
the assignment desk. Here they are
read and divided among the research
ers according to type of inquiry. When
the research work is done replies to
letters are dictated to stenographers,
typed, read at the editorial desk, sent
to the table for outgoing mail, where
they are prepared for mailing. Join
the hosts Of people who use this news
papers Information Service at Wash
ington, D. c. Frederic J. Haskin is
the director. Send stamp or coin for
return postage.
@. What State leads in Negro school
teachers? Lawyers? Clergymen?-G. e.
A. North Carolina leads with 5,607
school teachers, Illinois with 1877
lawyers and Texas with 2,308 clergy
men.
@. By what name or title was the
professional letter writer OF England
called in the past?-O. M.
A. The title of one whose principal
business was writing of letters in Eng
land at time when writing was not
a common knowledge was epistolarian.
Later the title of one who wrote let
ters largely of a social nature was an
amanuensis.
@. How much money Is spent by the
American people for medicine?-
r. W. S.
A. The Committee on the Cost Of
Medical Care says that the annual
bill for medicine In the Omitted States
is approximately $715 ,000. 600. More
than 70 per cent of the total expendi-
ture for drugs and medicine is for self
medication, that is, for patent medi-
cine and home remedies.