Evening star., 1936-12-11
ANSWERS TO
QUESTIONS
BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN.

| BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN.
A reader can get the ansper to any
question OF fact by ,ortting The Epening
Star Information Bureau, Frederic J.
Haskin, Director, Washington. D. C.
Please tnclose stamp for reply.
@. Please name some cities that uss
parking neters.-J. w.
A. Among the cities where these have
been installed are: Oklahoma City.
Miami, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, FL
Paso, Kansas City, st. Petersburg, Salt
Lake City and Toledo.
@. Why were the early writers such
poor spellers?-S. A.
A. Before the introduction of printing,
there was no standard Of spelling in
Europe. Spelling phonetically produced
widely varying results. The English
language has the fewest definite stand
ards Of spelling, or to put 1t differently,
the most exceptions to established rules.
@. What is the salary of the Speaker
of the House of Commons in Great Brit
aims. B. N
A. He receives 5000 pounds a year,
with a furnished residence. He is
member of the privy council On va
eating his post, he receives a pension Of
1000 pounds, and is raised to the peerage.
@. How long has coca-cola been on
the market?-E. j. H.
A. 1t was first sold at q soda fountain
in Atlanta, Ga, in 1886.
@. What college has q path Of fame?
H. G.
A. Rollins College at Winter Park, Fla,
has path of fame. The Near East
Foundation has presented the college
with tablets Of marble taken from ground
over which once walked Pericles, Plato,
Demosthenes and st. Paul These will
occupy places near paving stones from
many other historic spots of the world.
O. Is THE Little Colonel" heroine of
Annie Fellows Johnston's popular series,
a real person?-H. K.
A. The character Of THE Little Colo
mel" was drawn from Hattie Cochran,
who is now Mrs. Albert Dick of Louis
Vile, the mother of two grown sons.
@. When were Mason jars first pat
ented?-W. p. B.
A. j. L. Mason invented the Mason
style jar in 1858 and secured a patent
on November 30 Of that year. The
original Mason jar was made to seal on
the jar itself; that is, the body of the
jar came to fiat, horizontal surface at
the point where it joined the neck Of
the jar.
@. Please give the population Of the
large cities in Spain.-C. F.
A. Madrid had about 1,OO3 900 inhab-
itants before the present siege; BARGE
Iona, 1850, 1000; Valencia, 341, 500; Seville,
$4,000; Malaga. 100000; Zarasoza,
$4,000; Bilbao. III 900; Murcia, $4,000:
Granada, 122,7oo; Cordoba, 112200.
@. Which of the plays at present run.
ming on Broadway has had the longest
run?-E. r.
A. On December 4, Tobacco Road"
celebrated its third anniversary on
Broadway. The play now equals the
record set by Frank Bacons "Lightnin'"
and ranks second to the long-run record
of "Abie's Irish Rose
O. Is it true that the Berkeley High
School Bees were undefeated for IS or
is years?-F. ]. K
A. The Berkeley High School Bees
foot ball team played 108 games without
defeat. The team began in 1923 and the
first defeat since then was on Septem-
Der II, 1885,
@. What was the value in American
money of the Napoleon, a gold coin Of
France?-H. M.
A. 1t was worth about 1895. It was a
20-franc piece, bearing the head Of the
Emperor Napoleon.
@. In what years was Eugene Debs a
candidate for the presidency?-V. v. F.
A. In 1900, 1904, 1908, 1912 and 1920.
@. What trees and flowers grew in
Palestine in Bible times?-E. B. S.
A. The International Bible Encyclo-
pedia lists the following as growing in
gardens in Palestine in Bible times:
Oleander. vitex (species of verbena),
plane, carob, hawthorn, sumach, laurel,
broom, myrtle, buglos, scabiosa. squills,
tnlStleS, acacia, arbutuS, oleaSter, StyraS
(mock orange, Judas tree, caper, rock.
rose. villosus (poppy). crocus. cyclamen,
narcissi, anemones, ranunculus, gladioli,
iris, orchids, flax and borage.
Q. Are there many Communists and
Socialists among the student bodies Of
the well-known colleges?-J. w.
A. A poll taken at Harvard shows that
there are los Communists and Socialists
among its students. Other polls show:
University Of California, 270 Yale, 121;
Dartmouth. LOT; Williams, "a; Princeton,
"a; Columbia, 1877; University of Chi
cago, All.
@. How does bituminous coal differ
from anthracite in make-up2-W. v.
A. Anthracite contains from 80 to e5
per cent carbon, and 2 to 4 per cent hy-
drogen. Bituminous coal contains less
carbon and more hydrogen. Dry bitu-
minous contains "a to 80 per cent carbon,
and to per cent hydrogen: caking
bituminous contains 80 to IS per cent
carbon and to per cent hydrogen.