Answer.—The highest army officer in the active service of the United States is General; the next inferior, Lieutenant General; then Major General, and finally Brigadier General. Until George Washington was made Lieutenant General, in July, 1798, the highest office was Major General. After his death, in 1797, the title of the chief army officer continued to be Major General until 1864, when Grant was appointed Lieutenant General. In July, 1866, the office of General was created.
THE FATAL HOMERIAN RIDDLE.
Oakland, Cal.
What was the answer Homer gave to the fisherman who gave him a riddle to solve?
Jennie Smedley.
Answer.—The story is that one day Homer, meeting a number of fishermen, asked them: “Fishermen, sprung of Arcadia, have we aught?” And they answered: “What we caught we left behind. What we caught not we bear with us.” Homer could not explain it. He then remembered that the oracle had said “beware of riddles.” In despair he wrote his own epitaph and died within three days. This story comes from a lost work of Aristotle, so it is said, but it is decidedly fishy, and is classed with the numerous other fictions regarding the blind poet.
TABLE FOR MEASURING AN ACRE.
Wilton, Iowa.