Evening star., 1935-12-25

Frederic J. Hdstin, Director, Washing
ton, D. C. Please iHcloSe stamp for reply.
@. Is there any danger of homes being
destroyed by the present flow of lava
from Mauna Loa in Hawaii?-M. D.
A. Despite the advance of the lava
flow, moving at the rate of approximately
$50 feet an hour, neither houses nor land
of any value is endangered unless the
flow is long continued.
@. Did the law pass in Colorado pro-
hibiting the serving Of food in drug
storeS?-G. A. M.
A A law prohibiting the serving of
food in a room used for other purposes
has been upheld by the State Supreme
Court. This precludes the serving Of
drug store luncheons.
@. How much salary did John Hays.
Hammond the mining engineer, receive
for management of the mining interests
Of Cecil Rhodes?-L. B.
A. According to his autobiography, Mr..
Hammond in 1894, when he was not yet
40 years old, took charge of Rhodes min.
ing interests. in the Rand at salary
of $4,000 per year plus a participation
in the profits.
@. How many houses in the United
States are badly in need of repaira
&C. S. C.
A. The Federal Housing AdminiStra-
ton reported in 1884 that l6,O0O,O 600
dwellings in the United States were in
need of repair. Three million of these
were beyond hope of rehabilitation.
@. When did the late Sid Smith draw
Old Doc Yak?-G. B.
A. At the time Sidney Smith joined
the art staff of the Chicago Tribune In
1911, he was noted for the drawing OF
a goat that eventually became known
as Old Doc Yak He created the Gumps
in 1917 and the strip has appeared daily
since that year. and as Sunday fea~
ture since 1918, when Smith discontinued
his Old Doc Yak cartoon. In so doing,
he had Old Doc Yak turn over his
car with famed license number 346 to
ANDY Gump. Mr.. Smith showed de-
cided partiality to the number 348 and
had either 348, or some numerical COM
bination containing it, for his own auto
mobile license number.
@. How many retail stores are oper.
ated by Negroes?-A. T.
A. There are 25,701 retail stores kept
bv Negroes. OF these 1884 are in the
South.
@. Why are peacock feathers consid-
cred unlucky?-A. P.
A. The peacocks feather is an emblem
of vainglory and in some Eastern coun-
tries is a mark of rank. The peacocks
tail is emblematic Of an evil eye, or OF
an ever vigilant traitor, hence the
feathers are considered unlucky and the
superstitious will not have them in the
house. The classical legend is that Argus,
a fabulous creature with 100 eyes, was
changed into a peacock by Juno, the
eyes forming the beautifully colored disks
in the tail.
@. Who is the author of the new book
which is an autobiography OF George
Washington?-J. K. L.
A. THE Autobiography OF George
Washington" is arranged and edited by
Edward C. Boykin. The book is com.
pilation of Washington's own writings
and speeches, arranged with minimum
of comment and connecting narrative.
.. Please QeSCTlDe JIle VI IALO
Army Ordnance Association.-T. L.
A. The medal is suspended on the tra-
ditional ordnance colors: Crimson bor-
dered with yellow and piped with black.
The medal itself is struck from bronze
of unusual historical significance. This
material was used in 6-inch Howltzer
of British manufacture which was cap
tured during the World War on the Rus
sian front. Reconditioned by the Ger
mans, the gun was put into service by
them in the Argonne where it was cap
tured by the 77th Division, American
Expeditionary Forces.
Q. How old is the Arkansas Gazetteer
F. G.
A. 1t was established 116 years ago
and is the seventh newspaper started
west of the Mississippi.
@. In the beginning, did writing run
from left to right or from right TO
left?-S. E. K.
A. It is now believed by philologists
| that the earliest writing ran from right
to left. The ancient Egyptians wrote
this way and so did the Phoenicians. AS
a consequence, all the Semitic languages
with the exception of the extinct Assyro-
Babylonian and modern Ethiopic were
or are written from right to left. All
other written languages used IN the
world read from left to right with the
| exception of Chinese and japanese which
read from top to bottom and in columns
from right to left.
@. Why was the concrete in the
Bolder Dam artificially cooled?-B. G.
A. Bureau of Reclamation engineers
estimate that under natural conditions
more than $50 years would be required
| for the cooling of such mass OF con-
crete. BY artifcially cooling this mass,
all temperature changes due to the cur
ing process, and consequently all volume
| changes due to cooling, were forced to
| take place in the space OF about six
months.
@. How many Presidents have be.
| longed to the honorary fraternity, Phi
Beta Kappa?-L. H. S.
A. President Franklin D. Roosevelt is
the twelfth President to wear the Phi
Beta Kappa key.
A Rhyme at Twilight
By