Evening star., 1935-10-19
ANSWERS TO
QUESTIONS
By Frederic ]. Haskin.

| BY Frederic ]. Haskin.
reader can get the dnswer to anu
question OF fact by tUriting The Washing
ton Erening Star Information Bureau,
Frederic J. HdSkin. Director, Washino-
ton. d. c. Please inclose stamp for reply.
@. What classes of freight figure
largely in theft during transit?-C. BIC.
A. Nearly 40 per cent of the total
claims paid are for theft of coal, while
cigarette and tobacco losses have
amounted to about l8 per cent.
@. For whom was Churchill Downs at
Louisville named?-E. G.
A. Churchill Downs was named after
the owners of the ground on which the
race course was built-John and Henry
Churchill.
@. Are there many churches in
Ethiopia ?-N. T.
A. 1t is estimated that there are be-
tween $1,000 and $4,000 churches in the
empire.
@. Did Edgar Allan Poe have sister
who lived in Washington. D. C?-E. H.
A. His sister Rosalie lived in WASH
ington the latter part of her life at the
Epiphany Church Home. She is buried
in Rock Creek Cemetery.
q. Is MusSolni an athlete?-E. H. F.
A. He is swimmer, aviator, Speed-boat
driver and motor cyclist An expert
horseman, he begins each day with a
horseback ride.
Q. Do single men and women live
longer than married men and women?-
j. F.
A. According to data prepared by
Walter F. Wilcox, bachelors over age
20 have a consistently higher mortality
rate than married men. and spinsters
over age 40 have a consistently higher
mortality rate than wives 1t would follow
from this that husbands at each age
over 20, and that wives at each age over
40, would have greater expectations of
life than bachelors and spinsters, re-
spectively, of corresponding ages In
interpreting information of this kind,
Mr.. Wilcox says that it must be kept
in mind that marriage is necessarily a
process of selection and that persons in
poor physical condition would remain in
a single state. 1t does not follow that
all the single persons are subject to
greater mortality than all married per-
sons.
Q. What is a light year?-F D.
A. 1t is the distance that light travels
in a year, approximately six trillion
miles.
@. What plant is called Aaron's beard?
R. M.
A. The name is applied to several
plants, including rose of Sharon, st.
John's-wort, the smoke tree, and Chi
nese saxlfrage.
Q. Who wrote Praise God From
Whom All Blessings FIow?-W. w. c.
A. The words of the doXology are by
Thomas Ken, an English bishop. The
tune. known as "Old Hundred" is from
the Genevan "Psalter," 1851.
@. How did Block Island get its
name?-R. c.
A. Its original name was Manisses,
translated as little god or little island.
Its present name was given by Adriaen
Block in 1914.
@. Please describe the steps leading up
to the new Louisiana State Capitol How
much did the Capitol cost?-J. P. D.
A. The monumental granite steps are
48 in number, each inscribed with the
name OF State in the Union, with its
date of admission, the first flight of 13
steps indicating the original States. The
cost of the building was approximately
s5,0000O0.
@. Why do clothes dry better on a
warm day than on cold day?-M. K.
A. The drying of clothes depends on
evaporation When the temperature Of
the air is raised, as on a warm, sunny
day, it has the capacity of taking up
more moisture than when it is cold
@. For how long has Accident Facts"
been published?-J. F.
A. The National Safety Council has
recently published the fifteenth annual
compilation. 1t contains accident sta
tisticS for the past year and comparisons
with earlier years.
@. What is the meaning of the word
Gethsemane?-H. C. V.
A. 1t is Hebrew for wine press.
@. Who first called our flag "Old
Glory" 20 C. S.
A. Capt. Driver of Salem, in 1881,
commanded the brig Charles Doggett,
which sailed on its famous voyage which
resulted in the rescue of the mutineers
of the British ship Bounty. A letter
acknowledging this service contains
Drivers autograph dated November 16,
1880. and bears the words My Ship my
country, and my flag, Old Glory" 1t
may be fairly assumed. therefore. that
the phrase "Old Glory" originated with
Capt. Driver. The flag which was so
designated by him was presented to him
by a friend before starting on this
voyage. 1t is still preserved in the Essex
Institute, Salem, Mass.
Q. How many post offices are there in
WaShington?-P. j. L.
A. The Washington Post Office is COM
prised of one main Office, 33 classified
stations, 80 contract stations and
naval stations.
@. Who was called the Shakespeare
Clown?-A. G. S.
A. Daniel McLaren, whose stage name
was Dan Rice, was so called because Of
his devotion to the works of Shakespeare.