1 



July 7, 1923] 



NA TURE 



23 



tives. Luttons, car la lutte c'est I'effort, la lutte 

 c'est la vie, quand la lutte a le progres pour but," 

 adding that it was surely necessary that Pasteur's 

 pronouncement should be repeated " in this Palace 

 with its many significant associations." M. Reibel's 

 speech was followed by those of diplomatic representa- 

 tives which could not be heard by many because they 

 were delivered across the centre of the very long gallery. 

 On May 29 some of the guests attended a morning 

 presentation of the cinematograph film entitled 

 " Pasteur " designed to popularise his work. In the 

 afternoon the Institut de France held a garden party 

 at Chantilly, the castle with its art treasures being 

 thrown open for inspection. 



Many left Paris on May 30 to attend the concluding 

 ceremonies at Strasbourg, where in the evening a 

 reception was held in the Palais du Rhin. 



On May 31a monument of Pasteur was inaugurated 

 in front of the University of Strasbourg in the presence 

 of the President of the Republic accompanied by 

 M. Poincare (Prime Minister), M. Strauss (Minister 

 of Hygiene), M. Valery-Radot and others, academic 

 dress being worn by University representatives, a few 

 of whom presented addresses to the University which 

 they delivered into the President's hands. Orations 

 were delivered by M. Charlety (rector of the Uni- 

 versity), M. Haller (president of the Academy of 

 Sciences), Prof. Bordet (Pasteur Institute, Brussels), 

 and finally M. Millerand spoke with the eloquence of 

 a practised orator in a voice that carried far, his 

 speech being remarkably good. There followed a 

 banquet at noon attended by some thousand persons 

 at the Palais des Fetes under the presidency of MM. 

 Millerand and Poincare, . speeches that were more or 

 less audible being delivered by the Mayor of Stras- 

 bourg, M. Alapetite (Commissioner General of the 

 Republic), M. Strauss, and others. Following upon 

 the banquet the company assembled at the Palais 

 du Rhin, the ex-Emperor's former palace, to witness 

 the procession of Alsatian Societies before the 

 President ; it was a stirring sight, which deeply 

 moved all beholders, to see the representatives from 

 all parts of Alsace and Lorraine, lads and maidens 

 dressed in the characteristic costumes of their 

 districts stepping along briskly hand in hand to the 

 music of numerous bands that accompanied them, 

 while a deeper note was struck as veterans of the 

 War and of the war of 1870 defiled past, all saluting 

 the President of the Republic. There followed the 

 opening ceremonies at the Pasteur Museum and the 

 International Exhibition of Hygiene and an evening 

 reception at the Hotel de Ville given by the Mayor 

 of Strasbourg. Speeches were made in connexion 

 with these ceremonies, those delivered by Prof. 

 Borrel (Commissary General of the Exhibition) and 

 ]M. Poincare being the most notable. The scene at 

 the Hotel de Ville was remarkable when, from the 

 balcony, M. Millerand addressed the populace 

 assembled in the square and twenty thousand people 

 with upturned faces sang the Marseillaise to the 

 accompaniment of massed bands ; it was a sight 

 which none who witnessed it can forget. 



The Comite du Centenaire de Pasteur was respon- 

 sible for all arrangements and, except in minor 

 matters, did their work admirably. The programme 

 was rather overfilled and no lists were available to 

 aid the participants in discovering the names of those 

 who attended the celebrations. A reduction of 50 

 per cent, was allowed on the cost of tickets from 

 the frontier to Paris, while free first-class return 

 tickets were issued between Paris and Strasbourg 

 •0 those who had been invited. During two days 

 <>i the festivities in Paris motor omnibuses were 

 to be found at seven " points de concentration " 



NO. 2801, VOL. I I2I 



chosen with regard to the hotels at which delegates 

 resided, thereby affording a very convenient way of 

 transporting them to the various places where 

 ceremonies took place, gentlemen from the Pasteur 

 Institute and others serving as guides to the different 

 parties. Special trains and motor transportation 

 were, moreover, provided for the excursions to Ver- 

 sailles and Chantilly. 



Owing to the short time that was at the disposal 

 of the organisers, the Pasteur Museum and the 

 Exhibition at Strasbourg were scarcely ready for 

 inspection, the majority of the exhibits still remaining 

 in their packing cases, this being indeed unfortunate. 

 It is therefore inexpedient to attempt a description 

 of the few objects that could be seen. 



Those who attended the celebrations brought away 

 mementoes of the occasion apart from the medal 

 which they received at the Institut Pasteur. Of 

 printed matter may be mentioned the " Souvenir des 

 Fetes Nationales de la Commemoration du Centenaire 

 de la Naissance de Pasteur, celebres a Paris, en 

 Franche-Comte et a Strasbourg du 24 au 31 mai, 

 1923 " (Paris : Imprimerie Nationale, 1923). This 

 includes a chronology of Pasteur's chief discoveries 

 ( 1 847-1 885), a facsimile of his birth certificate, three 

 portraits of Pasteur at different ages, pictures of his 

 birthplace, homes, and grave, striking citations from 

 his writings, and a facsimile autograph and signature 

 reading : "La grandeur des actions humaines se 

 mesure a I'inspiration qui les fait naitre. L. Pasteur, 

 27 mars 1887." The tasteful menu at the Versailles 

 banquet and the programmes at the gala performances 

 on May 27 bore an excellent profile portrait of Pasteur 

 in flat relief, stamped on silvered paper, reproduced 

 after the well-known plaque by O. Roty. The 

 programmes distributed at Dr. Tuffier's reception and 

 at the Hotel de Ville bore the finely reproduced 

 profile head of Pasteur executed by R. Lalique. At 

 a private dinner given to some of the delegates, M. 

 Calmette distributed to his guests some finely wrought 

 silver medals bearing Pasteur's head modelled by 

 G. Prudhomme and bearing the dates 1 822-1922. 

 It should be mentioned, to avoid confusion, that the 

 national celebration was somewhat belated. In 

 point of date, the true centenary had been previously 

 celebrated in December 1922 at the' Institut Pasteur, 

 but these celebrations were, however, more of a 

 domestic character. 



During the festivities in Paris, the President of the 

 Republic with a small party left for Franche-Comte, 

 where, on May 26, he visited the house in which 

 Pasteur was born at Dole, attended a ceremony 

 before Pasteur's monument there and participated 

 at a soiree at Lons-sur-Sonier. On May 27 the 

 presidential party visited the parental house of 

 Pasteur at Arbois and attended ceremonies at Salins 

 and Besan9on, university functions at Besan9on 

 following on May 28 and 29, i.e. prior to the advent 

 of the party in Strasbourg. 



It may be mentioned incidentally that the Societe 

 de Biologie of Paris celebrated the seventy-fifth 

 anniversary of its foundation on May 26-28, it being 

 arranged that its meetings should clash as little as 

 possible with those relating to the Pasteur centenary. 

 Nevertheless, the present writer unfortunately found 

 it iinpossible to attend both functions because time 

 for rest was required between the events that con- 

 stituted the very full programme. 



Those who participated in the celebrations above 

 described in a somewhat inadequate manner will have 

 brought away, as did the writer, a delightful recollec- 

 tion of having revived friendships and established 

 firmly new ties across the water. 



George H. F. Nuttall. 



