Evening star., 1938-12-02
Hoskin's Answers =.
To Readers Questions
By frederic J. H0sktn,


A reader can get the ans,pes to any.
question OF fact BY tOrtttng The Epe.
ming Star Information Bureau, Fred.
eric J. Hasktn, director. Warrington,
d. c. Please inclose stamp for reply.
Q. What percentage Of our statesmen
have been lawyers?-S. j. H.
A. A study made by the Russell Sage
Foundation shows that two-thirds of
our Presidents and nearly all of our
Federal Secretaries Of State have been
members OF the bar. In the Continental
Congress which issued the Declaration
Of Independence, 26 Of the 56 delegates
were men Of legal training, and 80 Of
the IS members Of the Constitutional
Convention Of 1888. In the last session
Of Congress rs per cent of the Senate
and 56 per cent Of the House of Repre-
sentatives were lawyers. State govern
ments present . similar picture.
@. Who is head Of the ballet school of
the Metropolitan Opera7-J. R. 8.
A. Miss Margaret Curtis Is mistress
Of the ballet school.
q. From what poem are the lines,
Boys flying kites haul in their white
winged birds, you can't do that way when
you're flying words"?-E. s. H.
A. It Is from The First Settlers
Story" by VIII Carleton.
Q. Is there any objection to sending
very small Christmas cards through the
mail7-J. L. K.
A. The small cards require special
handling and there is danger of their
being lost The Post Once Department
prefers that no cards smaller than ~
inches by 4 inches be sent through the
mail.
@. How many men are employed on
the Grand Coulee Dam?-W. M. H.
A. In october, 6,176 men were en-
ployed on the site.
@. Please give the origin of pate dc
foie gras-J. T.
A. Goose ivers were considered q
delicacy by some of the ancients who
fattened the geese by feeding them figs.
The popularity of pate de foie gras,
however, dates from 1765 when jean
Pierre Clause, governor of Alsace and
connoisseur of good food, introduced 1t
As an experiment among his friends. To-
day more than 1000, 900 pounds of foie
gras are produced annually In Alsacs
alone.
G. How much money is spent by United
States tourists abroad?-R. s. H.
A. Total tourist expenditures by Am.
erican travellers abroad amounted to
$5s4 900 900 in 1887.
@. When will the Statue of Liberty
be completed so that visitors can 20
through?-J. H.
A. The Statue of Liberty will be open
to visitors on and after December Is,
1898.
@. Who is the greatest novelist Of all
time7-H. G. M.
A. There is . wide diversity Of opinion
among even the greatest literary critics
on the subject, but John Cowper Powys
in his Enjoyment OF Literature" says Of
Dostoievsky that he is as much greater
than all other novelsts as Homer and
Shakespeare than all other poets: FOR
he is superior to the rest in all the main
essentials of fiction. He is a greater
artist, greater psychologist, a greater
prophet, a greater thinker"
@. How many taxicabs and taxi
drivers are there in New York City?-
J. r. T.
A. There are 1880 cabs and 1900
drivers.
@. In what part Of the country are the
fewest farms mortgaged?-M. G. H.
A. In West Virginia and New Mexico
less than 40 per cent of the farm, were
mortgaged in 1885, when the averas se for
the United States was 34.5 per cent.
@. What is the Army Industrial Col
lege?-J. II. G.
A. The army Industrial College is one
OF the three general service schools Of
the United States Army. It is located
in the Munitions Building, Washington,
D. c., and operates under supervision Of
the Assistant Secretary of War. pur-
suant - section So of the National De-
fense Act. The object of the school il
TIE training of officers Or the procure
ment of munitions in the event Of war
and in the preparation q plans for the
mobilization Of materiel and industrial
organizations essential to wartime
needs.
Q. Do the women in the Hawaiian
ISLANDS make quilts?-J. r. 8.
A. Early missionaries introduced quilt
making there . century Ago and the
women produce many beautiful examples.
. At tie Folk Art Center in New York City
there is an exhibition Of unusual Hawai-