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THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



absorbed, and that these would thereupon 

 assume the crystalline form. 



He decided to attempt a duplication of 

 the process. Packing a cylinder of soft 

 iron with the carbon of sugar, he placed 

 the whole in a crucible filled with molten 

 iron, which was raised to a temperature 

 of 3,000 degrees by means of an electric 

 furnace. The soft cylinder melted and 

 dissolved a large portion of the carbon. 

 The crucible was thrown into water and 

 a mass of solid iron was formed. It was 

 allowed further to cool in the open air, 

 but the expansion which the iron would 

 have undergone on cooling was checked 

 by the crucible which contained it. The 

 result was a tremendous pressure. Open- 

 ing up the crucible Moisson found his 

 theory correct. He had duplicated Na- 

 ture's process in a small way and had 

 achieved Nature's results. 



SUBJECTS UNTOUCHED 



Thus we see that the difference be- 

 tween peat and diamonds is only a differ- 

 ence in degree of heat and pressure ap- 

 plied to carbon in geological ages gone 

 by, and the marvelous story of coal links 

 the beautiful ferns and the stifling car- 



bonized atmosphere of millions of years 

 ago to the scintillating diamond and the 

 dark mine of the living present. 



One fain would let his enthusiasm out- 

 pace his judgment with such an inspiring 

 story to chronicle and write a book rather 

 than an article, for there is so much that 

 remains untold. The picture of the world 

 before coal was utilized remains un- 

 drawn; the vastness of coal beds of the 

 earth and their influence upon nations and 

 peoples remain unappraised ; the history 

 of coal utilization remains unwritten; the 

 need of coal conservation and the ineffi- 

 ciency of modern engines, which waste 

 from 85 to 95 per cent of the energy in 

 the coal they use, remain undiscussed; 

 the life of the miner and the heritage he 

 bequeathes to humanity have been barely 

 mentioned. 



These and many other phases of the 

 thrilling story of King Coal and his be- 

 neficent reign upon the earth must be 

 passed over. Sitting by a warm fireside, 

 reading a favorite magazine, how little 

 we reckon all the ramifications of the 

 wonder tale of the seed-time and harvest 

 and utilization of Nature's great gift of 

 heat and energy to man ! 



THE SPIRIT OF THE GEOGRAPHIC 



IT IS a stimulating privilege to see 

 into the heart of a generous, sympa- 

 thetic, and patriotic people. Such a 

 privilege has been the rich experience of 

 the Board of Managers of the National 

 Geographic Society since an announce- 

 ment, first appearing in the pages of the 

 Geographic some months ago, invited 

 the members of the Society to contribute 

 to a fund for the establishment of a Geo- 

 graphic Ward in American Military Hos- 

 pital No. 1 (then the American Ambu- 

 lance Hospital), at Neuilly, a suburb of 

 Paris. 



That two wards have been established 

 instead of one and twenty beds are now 

 being supported instead of ten, as origi- 

 nally contemplated, is tremendously grati- 

 fying; but far more significant and in- 

 spiring than this fact has been the tender 



spirit of solicitude and often of self-sacri- 

 fice reflected in every contribution for 

 this noble cause. 



From every quarter of America and 

 from members in distant parts of the 

 world the response has come. The mem- 

 bership, in spite of the extraordinary de- 

 mands made upon them for the support 

 of Liberty Loans, Red Cross and War 1 

 Service Community drives, and the ex- 

 panded needs of their local charities, have 

 yet found the occasion and the means to 

 subscribe generously toward this fund for 

 the care and comfort of our wounded 

 boys in these Geographic wards. 



Even more moving has been the re- 

 sponse of those whose contributions have 

 been made at the expense of personal 

 privation, and how beautiful has been the 

 tribute of those who have given not only 



