Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-02-02
Huskin's Answers
To Readers Questions
By Frederic J. Hdsktn.

By Frederic J. Hasktn.
A reader can get the dnsUer to any
question OF fact by tDriting The EDe-
ming Star Information Bureau, Fred.
eric J. Hdsktn, director, Washington,
D. c. Please tnclose stamp for reply.
O. Where is the town that is named
after Quentin Roosevelt?-J. C.
A. 1t is in Lebanon County, Pennsyl-
vania, and was formerly called Bis.
marck. During the World War it was
renamed Quentin. The schoolhouse
there bears an inscription to that effect
and the following words: "Only those
are fit to live who do not fear to die.
And none are At to die who have shrunk
from the Joy of life and the duty Of
life. Both life and death are parts Of
the same adventure. Never yet was
worthy adventure worthily carried
through by the man who put his personal
safety f1rst.-Theodore Roosevelt Erected
under Auspices of Patriotic Order Sons
of America of Pennsylvania, 1920"
@. When was the last total eclipse Of
the sun visible in the United States?-
l.. H. S.
A. The last eclipse of the sun visible
as total in the United States occurred
on August 81, 1882.
@. Is there an estimate of the amount
of money lost by fires in the United
States?-K. H. j.
A. According to the National Fire
Prevention Council, the fire loss in the
United States in 1899 amounted to
s313, 100000
@. Why are Elizabeth Barrett Brown
ings love poems called 'Sonnets from
the Portuguese"?-I F.
A. The name, "Sonnets from the
Portuguese" which was invented by
Robert Browning after he had persuaded
Elizabeth Barrett Browning to publish
them, was designed to veil the true
origin of the poems. This name was
chosen partly because it suggested the
love of Catarina and the Portuguese
poet, Camoens, and partly because my
little Portuguese" was pet name that
Browning gave his wife.
@. What is the rarest kind of stork?-
Icy.
A. The shoe-billed stork or whale-head
is considered an pathological rarity.
Coming from restricted range in Africa,
| few have ever been taken out of that
country and further expectation is now
prohibited. Their enormous beaks are
very powerful and the hook at the tip
| is capable of tearing great gashes. Few
| birds are more deliberate in action and
they are perfect examples of slow mo-
| ton At the Chicago Geological Park,
| which probably has the largest number
| in captivity, visitors often ask If they
| are stuffed.
@. Were newspapers in some of the
Southern States published on wallpaper
during the Civil WARE. T.
A. At least Is newspapers, all of them
| published in Louisiana and Mississippi.
are known to have been printed on WALL
paper. OF these, 81 different issues
| have been found in the larger repositories
| of the country by Clarence S. Brigham.
librarian of the American Antiquarian
Society. r~
@. How long have balloons been used
| in warfare?-K. T.
A. The French were probably the first
| to recognize the value of balloons for
war purposes, special study being given
to the subject during the French rev.
! dictionary wars. Accommodating bal.
looms we're subsequently used in the
French campaign in Italy in 1859. Dur
ing the siege of Paris Q870-7D, COM
munication was effected between the
besieged and the provinces by means of
balloons carrying pigeons which we're
liberated to bring back news. Military
balloons were used in the United States
by the Federals during the Civil War.
@. What is the oldest existing legisla-
tive body in the world?-J. c. H.
A. The Althing of Iceland is the oldest
parliamentary assembly, having cele-
brated its 1,O00th anniversary in June
OF 1880.
@. Please give a list of the best-selling
fiction of 1877. D.
A. The best sellers of last year are as
follows: "All This, and Heaven, Too" by
Rachel Field; "Rebecca," by Daphne du
Maurier; THE Grapes of WRATH" by
John Steinbeck: disputed Passage by
Lloyd c. Douglas; "Wickford Point" by
John P. Marquand Three Harbours,"
by Van Wyck Mason; 1.-The Tree of Lib
erty," by Elizabeth Page; THE Yearling,"
by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings: Song Of
Years" by Bess Streeter Aldrich, and
1.-THE Patriot" by Pearl S. Buck.
O. How large is Mesa Verde National
Park?-N. T. B.
A. Mesa Verde National Park, situated
In Southwestern Colorado in Montezuma
County, embraces 800 square miles or
1884 acres.
O. What garden did Galsworthy say Is
the loveliest one in the world?-F. T. NJ.
A. The Magnolia Gardens on the Ash
ley River, IL miles from Charleston, S. G.
They were laid out early in the 18th CEN
fury by the Rev. John Grimke Drayton,
who brought the first azalea indica plants
from the Orient. Now there are millions
Of azalea blossoms, camellias, wistaria,
roses, magnolia grandif1ora, live oaks
with Spanish moss and pools, artistically
i L