Evening star., 1939-10-03
Hoskin's Answers
To Readers Questions
By Frederic J. Hdsktn,

~ NCOOCuS NUSSlIVIIS
By Frederic J. Hasktn.
A reader can get the ans,per to ann
question OF fact by wrtttno The Epe-
ming Star Information Bureau Fred.
eric J. Hasktn, director, Washtroton.
D. c. Please tnclose stamp Tor Teply.
Q. Please give the present area ard
population Of Germany.-L, H.
A. At the beginning OF the present
warfare Germany had q population of
100000 and an area of 259, 900 SQUARE
miles.
@. What is the fastest four-legRed
animal?-J. v. w.
A. It Is the cheetah or lion-hunting
leopard, which is able to run over 10
miles an hour for short distances.
@. How many colors are there In a
rainbow?-A. E. r.
A. The colors of the rainbow are red,
orange, yellow, green, blue and violet,
but the colors of individual rainbows
may vary. Red and violet can nearly
always be distinguished and greens, blues
and yellows may all be present. There
is, however, much mixing of colors be-
cause the rainbow is not a single spec
trum but series Of overlapping spectra.
@. Is list of new patents published?
r. H.
A. The United States Patent Office is
sues weekly the Gazette, which shows tho
patents which have been granted during
that week.
@. What is the record for going up
Pixies Peak in an automatically. M. R.
A. The record for ascending Pixies
Peak was made by Louis Unzer on Labor
Day of this year. The time was IS min
utes 392s seconds.
@. Please give brief history of kites.
j. C. H.
A. According to tradition, kites were
invented by Archytas of Tarentum four
centuries before Christ, but they have
been used by savage tribes of Asia from
time immemorial, and kite-fying has
been national pastime of the Chinese.
Japanese and other East Indians. The
origin of kite-fying is obscure, but it
Is generally ascribed to religion. The
Koreans attribute its origin to general,
who many hundred years ago, inspirited
his troops by sending up Nte with a
lantern attached. The soldiers believed
1t to be new star and the sign of
divine help.
@. What oils used in paints are OBJ
tanned from nuts?-C. D.
A. The National Bureau of Standards
says that the oils used in paint that are
obtained from nuts include tung or
chlnawood oil, walnut oil formerly used
by artists and oitica OIL Most of the
drying oils used in paints. such as linseed
oil, soybean oil, perilla oil, ETC., are OBJ
tanned from the seeds of plants
@. Vino invented cigarettes?-A. L. S.
A. The invention of the cigarette dates
from 1882. when French soldiers wrapped
some tobacco in the paper casing of a
cartridge.
Q. What is meant by the rule of three
obediences which Japanese women are
supposed to observe?-H. s. M.
A. The three obediences are, before
marriage to a father, after marriage
to husband and his parents, and when
widowed, to a son.
@. Is vegetarianism a new idea?-
M. j. D.
A. The term came into use about the
year 1847, but the doctrine is centuries
old, having been advocated by Pythag-
oras, Plato and Plutarch and in later
times by Rousseau, Shelley and Sweden
borg.
@. How many Americans were killed
in action on Armistice Day?-M. H. S.
A. War Department records show that
2l3 members of the American Expedi-
tionary Forces were killed in action on
November II, 1918, between IL o'clock
midnight and II am, the latter being
the hour at which the armistice was
F'gned. So far as is known, no battle
deaths occurred after II am.
Q. What color is the Presidents faep
".
A. The flag consists of the Presidents
seal in bronze, upon blue background,
with large white star in each corner.
O. What are the largest State capi-
tails in the United States?-G. C. r.
A. Boston is the largest State capital
and indianapolis ranks second.
@. What articles pertaining to wom-
ems dress were put in the time capsule
at the New York Worlds Fair?-J. c. H.
A. A woman's hat of 1898 style, q
rhinestone clip and cosmetic make
up box were placed in the repository.
Samples of various fabrics were also
deposited
@. To what depth can Navy diver
descend?-A. c.
A. The Deep-Sea Diving School ut
Washington Navy Yard says that Navy
divers have attained a depth of 500
feet in the tank at the diving school
and depth of 402 feet in open seas.
Child of Three
We think we know thing or two,
We've read thick books, both old and new;