THE WONDERFUL CENTURY. 



while millions of our people have not sufficient for the 

 ordinary needs or comforts of life, and even die in large 

 numbers for want of the vital warmth which it would 

 supply. Another large quantity of coal is consumed in 

 the manufacture of iron for export, which amounts 

 now to about two millions of tons per annum. A 

 rational organization of society would ensure an ample 

 supply of coal to every family in the country before per- 

 mitting any export whatever; while, if our social organi- 

 zation was both moral and rational, two considerations 

 would prevent any export: the first being that we have 

 duties toward posterity, and have no right to diminish 

 unnecessarily those natural products which cannot be 

 reproduced; and the second, that the operations of coal- 

 mining and iron-working being especially hard and un- 

 pleasant to the workers, and at the same time leading to 

 injury to much fertile land and natural beauty, they 

 should be restricted within the narrowest limits consist- 

 ent with our own well-being. 



In America, and some other countries, an equally 

 wasteful and needless expenditure of petroleum oils and 

 natural gas is going on, resulting in great accumulations 

 of private wealth, but not sensibly ameliorating the con- 

 dition of the people at large. Such an excellent light 

 as that afforded by petroleum oil is no doubt a good 

 thing; but it comes in the second grade, as a comfort, not 

 a necessity; and it is really out of place till everyone can 

 obtain ample food, clothing, warmth, house room, and 

 pure air and water, which are the absolute necessaries of 

 life, but which, under the conditions of our modern 

 civilization more correctly barbarism millions of 

 people, through no fault of their own, cannot obtain. In 



