elf--that by some means his ideas have
leaked out, and have been pirated. But those who have studied
invention, as a social and industrial force, know that nothing is more
common than to find two or more inventors making entirely independent
progress in the same direction.

For example, while this book was in course of preparation the author
wrote out an account of an application of wireless telegraphy to the
purpose of keeping all the clocks within a given area correct to one
standard time. Within a few days there came to hand a copy of
_Engineering_ in which exactly the same suggestion was put forward,
and an announcement was made to the effect that Mr. Richard Kerr,
F.G.S., had been working independently on the same lines, the details
of his method of applying the Hertzian waves to the purpose being
practically the same as those sketched out by the author. This is only
one of several instances of coincidences in independent work which
have been noticed during the period while this volume was in course of
preparation.

It may, therefore, be readily understood that the author would hardly
like to undertake the task of attempting to discriminate between those
forecasts in the subsequent pages which are the results of his own
original suggestions, and those which have been derived from other
sources. Whatever is of value has in all probability been thought of,
or perhaps patented and otherwise publicly suggested, before. At any
rate, the great majority of the forecasts are based on actual records
of the trials of inventions which distinctly have a future lying
before them in the years of the twentieth century.

In declining to enter into questions relating to the original
authorship of the improvements or discoveries discussed, it should not
be supposed that any wish is implied to detract from the merits of
inventors and promoters of inventions, either individually or
collectively. Many of these are the heroes and statesmen of that great
nation which is gradually coming to be recognised as a true entity
under the name of Civilisation. Their life's work is to elevate
humanity, and if mankind paid more attention to them, and to what they
are thinking and doing, instead of setting so much store by the
veriest tittle-tattle of what is called political life, it would make
much faster progress.

Some of the industrial improvements referred to in the succeeding
pages are necessarily sketched in an indefinite manner. The ou