George Gore

“ When, however, the stern reality of gradually increasing scarcity of coal, and consequent inability to pay for our great supplies of foreign food by means of that coal, and of articles produced by its aid, comes upon us, perhaps the statesmen and wealthy classes of this country will see the indispensable necessity of new scientific knowledge, and be more ready to promote experimental research, with a conviction that its practical results are vast, though not always direct or immediate.—Nature. ”

“ It has not been by the mere existence of large quantities of coal in this country, nor entirely by the sale of coal to foreign nations, that so much of our wealth has been obtained, but largely by the circumstance that we were the first nation to apply coal to industrial purposes on a large scale and in a great variety of ways. Other nations also possessing coal, perceiving the great success of this method, followed our example, have overtaken us, and have now rendered it increasingly difficult year by year for us to maintain our position as manufacturers. ”

“ Even governments can only appreciate that which they understand, and can only act as circumstances and public opinion allow them, and when fettered by an ignorant population are powerless to preserve a nation from decay.
There can not be a more complete error than to suppose that new knowledge discovered by means of scientific research is not practical. ”

“ As an illustration of the great amount of energy contained in coal, it is well known to scientific men that each piece of it contains sufficient stored-up power to lift its own weight twenty-three hundred miles in height, or twenty-three hundred times its own weight a mile high. The only other common natural substances to be compared with it in this respect are wood and petroleum, and our stores of these are very small. It is by the expenditure of the energy contained in coal that comparatively valueless iron-ore is converted into valuable iron. ”

“ Our abundant store of coal and its application to industrial purposes have been among the largest causes of our wealth and progress. The value of coal for those purposes depends essentially upon the fact that it is combustible and evolves a large amount of beat in burning, and that this heat can be set free at any time and be readily converted into mechanical, chemical, electrical, and other forms of power. ”

“ As also large quantities of coal, petroleum, and inflammable gas are continually being discovered and utilized in other countries, and it is known that the United States of America alone contain nearly forty times as much coal as our entire stock, the time can not be very far distant when our chances of maintaining even our present position among nations by means of our coal will be considerably less than at present. ”

“ It would be wise, therefore, boldly to face this serious prospect, and consider by what means our national prosperity can be maintained as our coal diminishes in quantity and increases in price, especially as our population is continually increasing and has to purchase greater supplies of foreign food. ”

“ Similarly the average politician and the ordinary elector, having but little knowledge of philosophical experiments or faith in them, will probably not believe in their great practical value until national distress and panic legislation ensue. ”

“ IT is well known that our stock of coal is not an infinite quantity, and can not last an infinite period of time. Different authorities, and those who have investigated the subject, including a royal commission, have assigned different lengths of time during which our supply is likely to last ”