No uninspired mind ever took in the possible
growth in every line of human achievement that this
last half of this century has actually seen, yet we are
closing the century with but $10,000,000,000 of the
precious metals, less than one-half the amount it
was estimated the world would need, and we have
set aside the silver, which is the one-half, leaving
but $5,000,000,000, the one-fifth of the amount that
was estimated the commercial world should need.
If our base of measurements has thus shrunk up in
comparison with our developed wealth, we can
easily see how there can be no hope of an advance
of prices but only positive and continuous decline.
If our w^ealth and commerce are increasing
beyond all human conception, while the precious
metals, both silver and gold, are proportionately
declining, it can be readily seen that with silver dis-
carded as a measure of values there must be an
immediate drop of one-half in price of properties
and then only a positive and continuous decline,
without hope of relief.
90 THESE HARD TIMES.
GOLD SUPPLY.
ARTICLE X.
The Divine One, who was the inspirer of the
writer of the book of Job, says : " Surely there is a
vein for the silver and a place for the gold," and all
human experience has confirmed this. Silver was
found in veins in Attica and worked for ages, also in
the Sierra Morena and followed for a mile and a
half into the mountain. The Potosi vein in Bolivia
was worked. for a hundred years and was sunk to a
great depth. The Valenciana in Mexico, that yielded
so- largely, was worked for ages. The richest vein ever
opened was the Comstock, it being the marvel silver
mine of the world.
