A PIECE OF COAL. 195 
widely used substances, such as glass and iron, has 
not only been greatly improved, but made much 
cheaper by its use. 
From benzone, again, we get a liquid called aniline, 
from which are made so many of our beautiful dyes 
mauve, magenta, and violet; and what is still more 
curious, the bitter almonds, pear-drops, and many 
other candies which children like so w r ell, are actually 
flavoured by essences which come out of coal-tar, and 
FIG. 57. Making artificial albumen. 
sugar itself is many times less sweet than saccharine, 
which has the same origin. Thus from coal we get not 
only nearly all our heat and our light, but beautiful 
colours, sweets, and pleasant flavours. We spoke just 
now of the plants of the coal as being without beautiful 
flowers, and yet we see that long, long after their death 
they give us lovely colours and tints as beautiful as any 
in flower-world now. 
