This day twenty-three years ago, I resolved that as far as the
whole-hearted devotion and faith of one man counted, that would not be
wanting and within six months it came about that some of the most
difficult problems connected with Electric Waves found their solution in
my Laboratory and received high appreciation from Lord Kelvin, Lord
Rayleigh and other leading physicists. The Royal Society honoured me by
publishing my discoveries and offering, of their own accord, an
appropriation from the special Parliamentary Grant for the advancement
of knowledge. That day the closed gates suddenly opened and I hoped that
the torch that was then lighted would continue to burn brighter, and
brighter. But man's faith and hope require repeated testing. For five
years after this, the progress was interrupted; yet when the most
generous and wide appreciation of my work had reached almost the highest
point there came a sudden and unexpected change.