Evening star., 1939-09-29
Huskin's Answers
To Readers Questions
By Frederic J. Husktn.


A reader can get the answer to any
question OF fact by ,Oriting The Eue-
ming Star Information Bureau, Fred
eric J. Hasktn, director, Washington,
D. c. Please inclose stamp for reply.
@. How many ships were destroyed by
German submarines in the World WARP
j. K. M.
A. There were 5,4o8 ships sunk by
German submarines.
@. Can church have advice from q
national organization in regard to the
problems of church architectural
E. c. H.
A. This kind of guidance is now readily
available to churches. A bureau of
church architecture is conducted bv the
Federal Council of Churches, 297 Fourth
avenue, New York.
@. How does the Librarian of Congress
receive his position and what is his
salary?-T. M. S.
A. He is appointed by the President
of the United States and confirmed by
VIC 1CAidGSs 41C lCCclfeS b Salary OF
$4,000 per year.
@. Where is the highest skiing resort
In the world?-H. L. H.
A. The highest winter sports resort is
said to be in Bolivia on the slopes of
Chacaltaya Mountain in the Andes, at
an altitude of 16,800 feet above sea level.
@. How extensive is Chinas coast linei
W. P. S.
A. Chfna's coast line is 215O miles
long, or, with indentations, about 5000
miles.
@. When was Uncle Toms Cabin"
first played?-N. F.
A. The first dramatization of Uncle
Toms Cabin" was given at the Troy
Museum, Troy, N. Y. on August %,
1852, and was made by George L. Aiken,
who took the roles of George Harris
and George Shelby. Greene C. Germon
played the role of Uncle Tom.
@. What became of Nine Schumann-
Heinks collection of war medals?-
H. NJ B.
A. They were bequeathed to the
Smithsonian Institution at Washington,
D. c., and are on exhibition there in the
National Museum.
II. C.
A. Sausage is mentioned by Athenaeus
IN the Deipnosophists, AID. 228, the
oldest cookbook of record. Aristophanes
says in the Clouds. 423 BIC, Let
them make sausages of me and serve me
up to the students"
@. WHAT is the correct pronunciation
of John Buchan's surname?-K. H. N
A. The last name of Lord Tweedsmuir,
Governor General of Canada, is pro-
nounced Buck-un.
@. Are there any genuine copies of the
Ulster County Gazette of January 4,
1900, in existence?-H L. M.
A. There are only two copies which
are known to be genuine. One is in the
Library of Congress at Washington,
D. c., and the other is in the Antiquarian
Society Library at Worcester, Mass.
@. Do idiots and imbeciles live as long
as people of normal mentality?-K. ].
A. The death rate of inbeciles is twice
as high as that of the general population
and that of idiots is five times as high.
In an analysis of the span of life of 1853
mental detectives, it was found that the
average for the 424 imbeciles in the
group was $3.50 years, while the life
span of the 344 idiots was only 1904
years.
@. What is a cenacle?-K. M B.
A. 1t is the term applied to the eating
room of a Roman house in which the
supper (cena), or the latest meal, was
taken. 1t was sometimes placed in the
upper story. The Last Supper in the
New Testament was taken in the cenacle,
in the large upper room," cited in St.
Mark and St. Luke.
@. Is there blind fish?-M. M. G.
A. The blindfish (Amblyopsis spelaeus)
is related to the mud minnow and kill
fish and is found in underground streams
in Mammoth Cave and other caves in
Kentucky and Indiana. 1t is from 2 to
inches long, entirely white, and has
no trace of external eyes.
@. Is the closed shop of modern or
ancient origin?-T K. M.
A. Medieval British guilds prevented
the working of non-members and some
of the guild regulations of the 18th and
18th centuries decreed that no guild
journeyman was to work with a non
member. These tactics were continued
by British trade unionism and were nat
urally conveyed to America. The Cord
wainers' Society Of the City of New York
in 1904, the New York Typographical
Society in 1909 and subsequently other
unions adopted bylaws forbidding mem
bers to work for employers hiring men
who did not belong to their organizations
or who worked for wages lower than
the union scale.
@. Please give some information about
Anne O'Hare Mccormick, newspaper
writer.-T. w. S.
A. Mrs. Mccormick attended ST. Marys
College, Columbus, Ohio, later studying
in Europe. She has worked on Cleveland
newspapers and contributed to mag
azines. In 1922 she began writing for
the New York Times Sunday Magazine
and since has been special correspond