Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-08-23
Gold and Petrol
seekers of old would rub their
10 rauisif

TREASURE seekers Of old would rub their
| eyes in amazement were they to revisit
these modern "glimpses of the moon,"
and see that no longer is it clustering gold
or precious gems which stir the merchant
explorers and the statesman's imagination,
but rather things so unromantic to the eye
as coal, potash, rubber, iron, petroleum.
| The Cape OF Good Hope might never have
| been rounded, nor the westward-daring cara
wells that discovered New World ever have
set sail, but for the consuming desire of trad
| ers, kings and high-mettled adventures to
find more favorable passage to midas
spices and pearls. What most impressed the
Portuguese sovereign touching Vasco da
Gama's wondrous voyage was that he
brought home cinnamon, cloves, ginger, nut
meg, pepper, and also many fine stones Of
all Sorts" Likewise, the king and queen of
Spain, in their charter to Columbus author
lied him "to discover and acquire certain
islands and mainland and "to appropriate
to himself a 1.-THE of the precious metals
which might be found there" But were
those starry admiras sent forth today they
would be hidden to let rabies and spices be
and to lay hold of nitrate salts and petroleum
fields.
The Belgian journalist who writes that the
Importance of petroleum in both and
peace determines nations to fight, if need be.
to insure themselves supply" reflects
not uncommon view; and he adds: "In Mes
opotamia, in Galicia, as we'll as in Mexico and
India, indeed in the whole world, petroleum
influences, governs, some say 'poisons' poll
tics" Such have been the changes in COM
under the transmitting touch of science, that
a product whose power and value were scarce
dreamed of till the middle Of the last century
now plays ma or role in the unfolding his
tory of our planet. In his recently published
imperialism of Petroleum." M. LIE Page
points out that the production which in 1910
amounted to three hundred thousand tons, in
1918 rose to eighty million tons First in the
field as great producer and purveyor of Pc
troleum was the United States, while Britain,
upon sensing the Importance Nof the oil as
uel for ships, lost no time in acquiring pc
troleum transports; it is said that today she
owns approximately fifty per cent of the
worlds tonnage of tank-ships. Thus, says
M. LIE Page, 1.-THE industry is in the hands Of
the two great Anglo-Saxon nations, one of
which is in possession of sixty per cent of the
production, and the other a half of the pc
troleum fleet"
What powers Of earth and air and of mans
inner self may still wait discovery and de-
velopment! The story of these last few cen
turtles tells plainly enough that in the discard
ed or unnoticed things of today may lie to-
morrow's riches and dominions. Who in the
stirring treasure quests of the Fifteenth and
Sixteenth centuries cared about rubber and
potash? Who troubled about nitrates and
petroleum? Who but thu wisest dimly dream
ed of the uses of electrical energy or the pos
sibilities of human flight? The "practical'
men of the times rocked as little of the ma
terial, let alone the spiritual, meaning of
America as We now do of those starry CONT
nents that strew the far ranges of the night.
But in petrol dwells more of worth, more of
winged power than in gold of kings and ar
gonauts.
Seeing how the simple things of the world
have COMPOUNDED the shrewd and how lowly
things have put the mighty to shame, we
shall do we'll to think less of our little knowl-
edge and more of the Infinite wisdom.