Evening star., 1940-07-01
Hoskin's Answers
To Readers Questions
By Frederic J. Haskin.

reader can get the ansper to any
question OF fact by ,0riting The Epe-
ming Star Information Bureau, Fred.
eric J. Haskin, director, Washington,
d. c. Please inclose stamp for reply.
@. Please explain the statement that
Paris Is an open city-.E. r.
A. According to the laws of warfare,
an open city may not be attacked nor
bombed. This regulation was adopted
at The Hague Conference of 1907. An
open city is not defended and may not
be used as a base for operations nor
occupied by troops. Existing fortifca-
tionS must be unnamed and military
headquarters may not be maintained
there.
@. What is the frequency of twinning
In various kinds of livestock?-M. T. H.
A. In sheep twins occur in about 20
cases out of every 100, and in cattle at
rate of three in every 100. Twinning
in horses is much more rare One esti-
mate places the frequency at one in
every $4,000 births.
@. Is it necessary for a Canadian citi-
zen to get passport to visit the United
States?-L. T.
A. After July l, Canadian citizens
visiting the United States will be re-
quired to have passports.
@. What will destroy toadstools on .
laWn?--L. K.
A. Toadstools can be killed by soaking
the soil with iron sulphate using one
pound to one and one-half gallons Of
water. Bordeaux mixture is equally
satisfactory.
Q. Is it true that some English poet
has added two stanzas to I'm Flanders
Fields"?-M K
A. Alfred Noyes has written two addi-
tional stanzas of the poem. Although
differing in form and meter from the
original they are in the same mood.
@. What is the largest spider?-M.
J. w.
A. The largest spider is the tarantula,
native to Central and South America.
1t has a body as long as two or three
inches. The feet and legs have spread
of from seven or eight inches in diam
eter.
O. How many steps are there in the
United States Capitol at Washington,
D. C.?-M NJ
A. From the architects Office in the
Capitol to the dome there are 365 steps,
one for each day of the year There are
SO steps from the street to the door
under the rotunda at the east front of
the Capitol.
@. Was there an eclipse of the moon
in 1862?-E A. C.
A. A total eclipse of the moon oc- =
CURED just before and after midnight
on June II, 1852
@. What lecturer referred to syphilis
as the king of killers?-D. P.
A. The King of Killers" was the sub
ject of an address broadcast by DR.. Raw
Lyman Wilbur, president of Stanford
University, for the American Social Hy-
giene Association.
@. What is the Hawaiian legend about
the goddess of volcanoes?-L. c.
A. The goddess of volcanoes was Pele,
who had the power of Transforming her
self into hag. AS she passed along
the highway in the guise of an elderly,
destitute woman, she would beg aims.
Refusal to grant them resulted in the
outburst of a volcano.
@. Can an enlisted man in the Regu-
lar Army be admitted to the United
States Military Academy at West Point?
Il. r. P.
A. Under the present regulations,
vacancies are available for enlisted men
who meet the physical, mental and
moral requirements. Examinations are
held on competitive basis. The course
at West Point is for four years and upon
graduation the young men are commits
stoned second lieutenants in the Regular
Army.
q. How many amateur radio operators
are there in the United States?-C. M.
80 AAieAS oio dppl OAlIIldIely oo,UUU
amateurs licensed by the Federal Com
munications Commission
@. Was the late Richard Halliburton
an only child?-J. D..
A. Richard Halliburton had one
brother, Wesley, three years younger
than he, who died when the author was
a student at Princeton.
Q. Have sugar and cream always been
used in coffee?-M T. r.
A. Coffee was drunk during the Mid
die Ages, but it was not until 1925 that
sugar was used in it, and milk not until
1850.
Q. Was business suspended in the
United States to mourn President Nc
Kinley's death?-D. H.
A. Andrews History of the United
States" says: mo king was ever hon.
ored by obsequies so widespread or more
sincere -. Business was suspended. For
hve minutes telegraph clicks and cable
flashes ceased, and for 10 minutes, upon
many lines of railway and street rail-
way, every wheel stood still"
Q. How great discharge of heat is