﻿THE 
  NEW 
  COAL 
  AGE 
  SLOSSON 
  249 
  

  

  The 
  energy 
  radiated 
  by 
  the 
  sun 
  reaches 
  the 
  earth 
  through 
  92,- 
  

   000,000 
  miles 
  of 
  empty 
  space 
  as 
  cold 
  as 
  can 
  be. 
  When 
  the 
  rays 
  

   come 
  into 
  our 
  atmosphere, 
  they 
  heat 
  uj) 
  the 
  air 
  and 
  so 
  set 
  up 
  currents 
  

   in 
  it. 
  That 
  gives 
  us 
  power 
  for 
  windmills. 
  When 
  the 
  rays 
  strike 
  the 
  

   sea, 
  they 
  heat 
  up 
  the 
  water 
  and 
  evaporate 
  some 
  of 
  it, 
  which, 
  carried 
  

   away 
  by 
  the 
  wind, 
  falls 
  on 
  the 
  mountains 
  as 
  rain. 
  That 
  gives 
  us 
  

   power 
  for 
  our 
  water 
  wheels. 
  When 
  the 
  rays 
  fall 
  on 
  a 
  green 
  leaf, 
  

   they 
  are 
  set 
  to 
  making 
  cellulose. 
  That 
  gives 
  us 
  fuel 
  for 
  our 
  engines. 
  

   There 
  are 
  then 
  three 
  ways 
  in 
  which 
  to 
  engage 
  solar 
  energy, 
  two 
  

   physical 
  and 
  the 
  third 
  chemical. 
  

  

  I 
  suppose 
  the 
  first 
  employment 
  of 
  external 
  energy 
  in 
  the 
  history 
  

   of 
  the 
  world 
  was 
  when 
  some 
  prehistoric 
  savage 
  discovered 
  that 
  he 
  

   could 
  save 
  himself 
  walking 
  by 
  floating 
  downstream 
  astride 
  of 
  a 
  log. 
  

   Doubtless 
  the 
  second 
  was 
  when 
  some 
  other 
  genius 
  discovered 
  that 
  he 
  

   could 
  make 
  the 
  wind 
  propel 
  his 
  log 
  canoe 
  across 
  still 
  water 
  by 
  

   hoisting 
  a 
  skin 
  as 
  a 
  sail. 
  The 
  third 
  method, 
  the 
  chemical 
  process 
  

   of 
  using 
  solar 
  energy, 
  came 
  with 
  the 
  invention 
  of 
  the 
  steam 
  engine 
  

   150 
  years 
  ago. 
  

  

  The 
  chemical 
  means 
  of 
  utilizing 
  sun 
  power, 
  that 
  is, 
  combustion, 
  is 
  

   at 
  present 
  our 
  chief 
  dependence, 
  but 
  the 
  little 
  green 
  leaves 
  work 
  too 
  

   slowly 
  for 
  us. 
  They 
  can 
  not 
  keep 
  up 
  the 
  pace 
  that 
  modern 
  life 
  

   demands. 
  So 
  we 
  have 
  drawn 
  upon 
  fossil 
  fuel, 
  upon 
  the 
  carbon- 
  

   aceous 
  accumulations 
  of 
  the 
  Paleozoic 
  period. 
  The 
  iron 
  horse 
  feeds 
  

   on 
  subterranean 
  pastures. 
  We 
  stoke 
  our 
  engines 
  with 
  the 
  giant 
  ferns 
  

   and 
  mosses 
  that 
  grew 
  in 
  Wales 
  or 
  Pennsylvania 
  long 
  before 
  human 
  

   life 
  began. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  green 
  laboratories 
  of 
  the 
  curious 
  vegetation 
  of 
  that 
  remote 
  

   era, 
  the 
  light 
  waves 
  from 
  the 
  sun 
  acted 
  as 
  they 
  do 
  to-day, 
  dissolving 
  

   in 
  the 
  plant 
  the 
  bonds 
  that 
  connected 
  the 
  carbon 
  and 
  restoring 
  the 
  

   oxygen 
  to 
  the 
  air. 
  We 
  now 
  reverse 
  the 
  process 
  and 
  reunite 
  the 
  

   carbon 
  of 
  the 
  coal 
  beds 
  with 
  the 
  oxygen 
  of 
  the 
  air 
  and 
  so 
  revive 
  

   the 
  sunshine 
  that 
  fell 
  upon 
  the 
  earth 
  millions 
  of 
  years 
  ago. 
  

  

  But 
  we 
  have 
  for 
  a 
  century 
  been 
  living 
  upon 
  our 
  carbonaceous 
  

   capital. 
  We 
  have 
  skimmed 
  the 
  cream 
  of 
  our 
  coal 
  beds 
  and 
  wasted 
  

   about 
  99 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  its 
  power. 
  The 
  concentrated 
  fluid 
  extract 
  of 
  

   fossil 
  fuel, 
  petroleum, 
  is 
  even 
  more 
  limited 
  and 
  has 
  been 
  still 
  more 
  

   recklessly 
  wasted. 
  Coal 
  is 
  scarce 
  in 
  many 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  world 
  and 
  oil 
  

   will 
  soon 
  be 
  scarce 
  everywhere. 
  The 
  Southern 
  Hemisphere 
  is 
  con- 
  

   spicuously 
  deficient 
  in 
  coal. 
  Africa, 
  South 
  America, 
  and 
  Australia 
  

   have 
  not 
  enough 
  for 
  their 
  own 
  needs 
  and 
  will 
  have 
  to. 
  borrow 
  from 
  

   their 
  northern 
  neighbors. 
  

  

  The 
  most 
  obvious 
  distinction 
  between 
  plants 
  and 
  animals 
  is 
  that 
  

   the 
  former 
  have 
  roots 
  and 
  the 
  latter 
  have 
  legs. 
  Plants 
  are 
  mostly 
  

   sessile; 
  animals 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  mobile. 
  Man, 
  having 
  only 
  two 
  legs 
  and 
  

  

  