Evening star., 1936-11-20

Star Information Bureau, Frederic J.
Hdskin, Director, Washington, D. c.
Please inclose stamp for reply.
@. Are citizens III the federal districts
of republics other than the United States
disfranchised?-M. 3.
A. In others, like Mexico, Brazil and
Argentina, the citizens enjoy the voting
privilege.
@. What is the average size Of q news
paper?-B. H.
A. Cranston Williams, secretary of the
Southern Newspaper Publishers Associa-
ton, in recent speech, said: The aver
age column Of reading matter runs from
200 to 1900 words. There are eight
columns in page. Multiplying further
by eight pages as an average quantity of
daily reading matter, 1t will be seen that
something more than 100000 words ap-
pear each day in your newspaper. The
average reporter writes about two COL
umns or 5000 words per day. He would
write around 100000 words per year.
Then contrast those figures with the fact
that the average novel comprises from
$4,000 to 100000 words. Each day the
AlCWoPdPCA dfCIdkCS WOIQS IIldLl d
novel,"
@. Where is the volcano called El
Misti?-W. H. r.
A The volcano is east of Areouipa
City, Peru. 1t is 1920 feet high.
O. How old is Clifford Odets, the play
wright? Please give a list of his plays.
e. j.
A. Mr.. Odets is 80 years old. He has
written the following plays: Awake and
Sing" waiting for Lefty" Till the Day
I Die" Paradise Lost" and The Silent
Partner"
@. How many god-children has Hitler?
j. w.
A. Chancellor Hitler is the godfather
of 1880 children. He is said to be will
ing TO assume that obligation to any
tenth child in any pure Aryan family.
Q. What are the ugliest words in the
English language?-E. w.
A. The 10 selected by the National As
sociation of Teachers of Speech are Jazz,
plump, grippe. treachery, sap, cacophony.
plutocrat. flatulent. phlegmatic and
crunch.
@. Where was the Garden of Eden?
C. w.
A. This is a controversial question.
Some Scripture students have suggested
the Island of Ceylon, others Arabia. and
recently the claim was made that Meso-
potamia was the original site.
@. How many women in this country
are playing field hockey?-W. E.
A. About 10000 women have taken I'D
this sport.
@. Has silk purse ever actually been
made of a sows ear?-K. H
A. A feature of the exhibit of Arthur
D. Little, Inc, at the National Exposi-
ton of Chemical Industries in 1921 was
silk purse actually made out of a sows
ear. The ear was made into glue, soft
ened with water, brought almost to the
point OF precipitation with acetone, then
forced through warm container into a
spinneret, and through this into a
hardening solution of formaldehyde and
acetone In a V-tube. 1t was picked out
OF the V-tube, reeled. dried treated to
40 per cent glycerin bath in which it
was also dyed. then reeled and dried
again, woven and sewed up.
@. Are Franklin D. Roosevelt and Vim
cent Astor related to each other?-J. T.
A. They are not actually related. but
there is a family connection James
Roosevelt, half brother of Franklin D.
Roosevelt. married Helen Astor, sister of
John Jacob Astor, who was the father Of
Vincent Astor. James. Franklin's half
brother, was therefore an uncle by mar
Tiage to Vincent Astor.
@. What are tarots?-F. NJ.
A. They were figured playing cards
used in Italy as early as the fourteenth
century.
@. What is strigil?-E M.
A. This was an instrument of bronze
or ivory, with which the ancients scraped
their limbs after bathing and which the
ancient athletes used to remove the oil
after amounting their bodies.
Q. Please describe the new Transbay
Bridge at San Francisco.-J. H.
A. The San Francisco-Oakland Bay
Bridge spans the longest stretch of navi-
gable water ever bridged, Al miles, and
its actual length is 8A miles. There are
3 miles Of approaches and 81 piers, a
of them under salt water. The suspen-
sion towers extend 500 feet above and
200 feet below the surface of the bay, It
is expected to handle 12,6OO, 900 automo-
bile passengers and 42,500,0O0 intertIrban
passengers yearly. 1t is really a series
of bridges laid end to end, the first two
being suspension units between the San
Francisco Embarcadero and Yerba
Buena Island in the bay. The structure
will be lighted by hundreds of mercury
vapor lights, making automobile head
lights unnecessary. The State which
built and owns the bridge will collect IS
cents for each passenger automobile
which crosses the structure.
M. r.
A. Foods rich In iron include bacon.
beets, dried fruits, egg yolk, green vege-
tables, legumes, meat juices. mushrooms.
nuts, oatmeal, oysters, poultry, shrimp
and whole wheat.
The Economic See-Saw.
From the Worcester Gazette.
The only trouble with a depression
is that it doesn't give fellow chance
to save up enough pennies to partici-
pate in the ensuing boom.