Evening star., 1943-11-23
Hoskin's Answers
To Questions
By frederic J. Hasksa.

By frederic J. Hasksn.
TO get an authoritative ans.csv to Q
question use this Information Bureau.
This offer Of service does not tncluds
discussion OF domestic problems.
1t Is better to talk these matters oper
NTH relatives or close personal
friends. In tDritin1 do not use post
cards. address your inquiry to The
Erening Star Information Bureau.
Frederic J. Hdsktn, Director, Wash.
in0ton, d. c. and inclose stamp toS
return postage. - ~t.'
G. Please name some famous men who
came of large families-L. C.
A. Benjamin Franklin was the 18th
Of Is children, Caruso was the 18th Of
70 sons, John Philip sousa was the old
est Of ten. President Mckinley was this
seventh OF nine children. ...g
@. How many cities or towns In this
United States are. named for George
Washington7-E. L. H.
A. The George Washington Bicenten-
NAL Commission reported AZ.
Q. Do penguins ever ny?-M. r. B.
A. Penguins cannot fy in air. They
have real wings covered with feathers
but they do not fold back like those Of
other birds and are always carried
extended.
Q. Who composed Hail to the Chief"
the piece that is played when the
President enters?-L. L. E.
A. Hail to the Chief is an old Scotch
boating song 1t was selected long ago
to signal the arrival of the President
because Of its name rather than its
character.
@. Is there any simple way to distin-
guish a Chinese from a Japanese
P. r. r.
A. Anatomical characteristics for the
Chinese and Japanese overlap greatly
and it is not easy to distinguish the two
peoples from them Scientists are of the
opinion that 1t is necessary to rely upon
culture and speech habits for identifica-
ton.
@. How many words did Chief Justics
Whites will contain?-S. C. c..
A. Often quoted as a classic example
OF brevity, this will contained but 81
words. Calvin Coolidges will was even
shorter, worded as follows: Not un-
mindful of my son John, 1 give all my
estate both real and personal to my wife,
Grace Coolidge, in fee simple" Other
wills run to hundreds Of words like those
Of Napoleon and Florence Nightingale.
@. Are there any examples of Greek
painting in existence?-L. F.
A. Not fragment remains of any
Greek painting, and there are only faded
touches to be seen on sculpture.
@. What are the names of the chief
synthetic rubbers?-W. F. P.
A. Buna 8, neoprene, butyl and
thiokol. OF these, neoprene is the sub
stance said to be most nearly similar
in general utility to natural rubber.
@. Do white or colored people pre-
dominate In the British Empire?-J.E.
A. In the British Empire as we'll as in
the French, Dutch and Belgian Empires
as they were before the war, the colored
population greatly outnumbered the
white.
Q. How did Babe Ruth get his nick
name?-T. A.
A. The nickname Babe" was orig
inally applied to him when he Joined
the Baltimore Orioles in 1914 Coach
Steinam, who was Owner Dunn's right
hand man, greeted the big fellow when
he came into the ball field. shouting to
the other Baltimoreans: Boys, here's
Jacks new babel"
O. How are small boats protected from
lightning?-C. B. L.
A. The United States Coast Guard
says that usually no provision is made
since the possibility Of beng struck is
very small. Small wooden boats are not
conductors Of electricity, whereas light
ming Is readily grounded upon directly
striking the water, which is a conductor.
II such boats have masts stayed by wire
rigging 1t is good idea to ground these
wires.
G. Why are men in the armed forces
not provided with bulletproof vests?-
M. NJ j.
A. The War Department says that
soldiers do not wear bulletproof vests
because they would not be a protection
against the modern high-caliber bullets.
@. How much work can a man do,
expressed in horsepower?-S. Med.
A. 1t is usually from 1/1o to rs of a
horsepower, but for a minute or two he
can exert a full horsepower or more.
Q. Why did A. E. Housman return the
check sent to him by an American pub
Usher for a series of his poems?-L r. B.
A. Housman explained that he never
took money for poetry.
@. What is the source of WashingtonS
water supply?-L. P. E.
A. The District of Columbia obtainx
its water from the Potomac River
through a 9-foot conduit located on
the Maryland side, beginning at a point
above Great Falls, Md. Approximately
40 per cent Is distributed from the Nc,
MILAN Reservoir and the remainder
from the Dalecarlia. Before diStribu.