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POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



domains of physics and chemistry 

 which shall have been proposed as 

 meriting the award of Nobel prize to 

 their authors. The institute shall, 

 moreover, as far as its means allow, 

 promote such researches in the do- 

 mains of the sciences named as 

 promise to result in salient advan- 

 tage." The prizes have so far been 

 awarded annually, but it is to be 

 feared that when the money is needed 

 in Sweden, it will be kept there in 

 accordance with the provision of the 

 statutes that when a prize is not 

 awarded the money may be used for 

 funds ' to promote the objects which 

 the testator ultimately had in view 

 in making his bequest in other ways 

 than by means of prizes.' 



The administrators of the Nobel 

 foundation have violated the condi- 

 tions of the bequest in other ways 

 which, though not so discreditable as 

 the conveying of the money to local 

 purposes and men, can not be regarded 

 as justifiable. Nobel expressly stipu- 

 lates that the prizes shall be awarded 

 to those " who shall have contributed 

 most materially to benefit mankind 

 during the year immediately preced- 

 ing." The statutes hedge, as follows: 

 " By the proviso in the will to the 

 effect that for the prize competition 

 only such works or inventions shall be 

 eligible as have appeared ' during the 

 preceding year ' is to be understood 

 that a work or invention for which a 

 reward under the terms of the will is 

 contemplated shall set forth the most 

 modern results of work being done in 

 that of the departments, as defined 

 in the will, to which it belongs; works 

 or inventions of older standing to be 

 taken into consideration only in case 

 their importance has not previously 

 been demonstrated." 



In no single case has the award 

 been made for work accomplished or 

 published during the preceding year. 

 The prizes have been given to men of 

 eminence, most of whom accomplished 

 their important work long ago. It 

 would certainly be difficult to select 



each year the work most beneficial to 

 mankind, and mistakes would un- 

 doubtedly be made; but the effort to 

 make such a selection and to award 

 the prize without regard to national- 

 ity, age or eminence would be a great 

 stimulus to research, far greater prob- 

 ably than the methods adopted. But 

 the question is not which method is 

 the better, but for what purposes 

 Nobel made his bequest. The terms of 

 the will have also been violated by 

 dividing the prizes and by awarding 

 them to institutions, and its spirit has 

 been especially ignored by giving the 

 power of nomination and determina- 

 tion chiefly to Swedes. It does not of 

 course follow that the dead hand 

 should forever control. But Nobel 

 died only ten years ago. He might 

 be given his will for a little while at 

 least, and under the special circum- 

 stances of the case it would seem only 

 just to submit any provisions which 

 proved impracticable or unwise to in- 

 ternational consideration. 



There is a certain lack of courtesy 

 in thus criticizing actions sanctioned 

 by the Swedish government and by 

 those Swedish men of science at least 

 who are accepting gratuities from the 

 fund. Neither can we as a nation 

 regard ourselves as fit to cast stones 

 when we remember the histories of the 

 Stewart, Tilden and other bequests, or 

 when we consider that the Smith- 

 sonian Institution, established by a 

 foreigner ' for the increase and dif- 

 fusion of knowledge among men ' has 

 been used largely for the promotion 

 of local interests. But it is only by 

 frankly considering these things that 

 we may learn that honor is more than 

 great riches. 



TEE SCIENTIFIC MEETINGS OF 

 CONVOCATION WEEK 

 The American Association for the 

 Advancement of Science and the na- 

 tional scientific societies affiliated with 

 it hold their annual meeting this year 

 in New York City, beginning on De- 

 cember 27. Washington and New York 



