Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1936-05-11
ANSWERS TO
QUESTIONS

A reader con get the Gnsuer to any
question Of fact BY tDriting The Epening
Star Information Bveaa, Frederic ,.
Haskin, Director. Washington, D. c.
Please inclose stamp for reply.
@. How long has the Press Radio
Bureau been organized?-E. r. G.
A. The Press Radio Bureau has been in
operation for two years.
@. Do birds eat q great quantity Of
weed seeds7-L. M.
A. It has been estimated that 5000
box cars OF weed seeds In q year are
eaten by all seed-eating birds In the
United States.
@. What Is the name of the boy who
publishes the smallest newspaper?-E. r.
A. Bruce Buster) Hoefer, IL years
old, Is editor and publisher Of the She
boygen (Wis) Weekly, The Worlds
Smallest Newspaper" In addition to his
duties as editor and publisher, he Illus
trates the paper and writes the adver-
tisements.
@. How many taxicabs are there In
Washington, D. CIT. c.
A. There are about $500.
@. What Is the name OF the favorite
horse of the Emperor of Japan?-F. T.
A. Hirohito's favorite mount is Shira-
yuN white Snow.
q. What languages are spoken in
Canada7-W. B. 8.
A. English is the prevailing language
and is the mother tongue of considerably
more than half of the population, and
q very large proportion of those whose
mother tongue is another language have
learned to speak English. There are over
1890 900 people who learned French in
childhood. Next come the Germans with
over 100000, the Ukrainians with over
quarter Of million, and the Poles with
$4,000. Chinese, Japanese, Dutch,
Flemish, Greek, Italian, Spanish, Swed-
ish, Norwegian, Danish. Icelandic, Gaelic,
Austrian. Bohemian, Bulgarian, Russian,
Slovak, Syrian, Arabic, Yiddish and many
other languages are spoken in the
Dominion.
@. Who was Carl Zeiss?-F. Mr..
A. Carl Zeiss was a German optician
who, in 1846, established at Jena the now
world-famouS optical factory, which still
bears his name. He died in 1888.
@. What is Lowell's definition of talent
and genius?-L. L.
A. He said: Talent is that which is
in mans power; genius is that in whose
power q man is"
@. How many monuments are there In
the Gettysburg National Military Park2
IN. N.
A. There are more than 1000 monu-
ments and markers within the reserva-
ton of 1850 acres.
@. In what country are the people the
greatest bread eaters?-T. S.
A. In Belgium. Then come France,
Austria and Italy, England, United States,
Germany and Switzerland in the order
named.
@. How many methods of electing the
President of the United States were con-
sidered by the Constitutional Conven-
TOMB. w.
A. Three main plans were considered.
One was for direct election by the people.
one was for election by Congress, and
the third was for the electoral college.
The second plan was tentatively adopted
twice, on one occasion Unanimously, but
opinion gradually shifted in the favor
Of balance of power between Congress
and the President and this could scarcely
exist if the latter were chosen by the
former. The electoral college plan was
suggested by Hamilton and seems to have
been borrowed from Maryland. 1t was
assumed that the electors would be
chosen from the most capable and trust
worthy men and that these in turn would
weigh the qualifications of persons avail
able for the presidency and cast their
ballots as free agents.
@. Why is it said that snowfakes are
never alike? They fall together in
storm and seem to vary only in size
A. P.
A. 1t is an accepted fact that one
snowflake never duplicates another. Ac-
cording to the laws by which it is formed,
snowflake may assume any one of a
number Of possible forms, running into
billions Of billions.
@. What are totem animalS?-E. II. j.
A. Among savage peoples it is believed
that some peculiar kind of animal is the
guardian of each clan or local group.
This animal is the totem and must be
shown proper respect. The savage be-
lieves that he is descended from his
totem. His clan is named from it and
identified by crude symbols or images
of it. These may be embroidered on
tents, carved on posts, or tattooed on the
body. When a totem animal dies it is
buried with the same rites accorded a
member Of the clan.
@. What per cent Of married people
celebrate their f1ftieth wedding anniver-
Sary?-I. T.
A. According to an insurance company,
the chances Of celebrating a golden ami
versary depend entirely upon ones age
and that Of the consort at the time
of the marriage. Taking an average case
in which the bride Is "a years of age and
the Bridegroom Is years Of age, the
chances that they will both survive and
celebrate their golden anniversary is 1853
out Of every 1000. or about / in 6.
@. Is a body removed from its casket
before cremation?-P. A.
A. In modern crematoria, the casket
with its covering Of flowers Is not dis
turbed, and the caSket chamber in not