Januabt 17, 1908] 



SCIENCE 



111 



foundation for the distribution of the prizes with- 

 out explanatory additions. On account of the 

 Utopian form of the will some of Nobel's heirs 

 commenced a lawsuit against the institutions 

 which Nobel had appointed as distributors of the 

 prizes. Rather than lose a part of the funds in 

 a lawsuit, which could be prolonged for an uncer- 

 tain length of time, the said institutions decided 

 to compromise with the heirs, and to interpret 

 the will by the statutes which were drawn up by 

 a committee, in which the said institutions and 

 the heirs were represented, and which statutes 

 were later approved by the government. All these 

 parties were interested in reaching as far as pos- 

 sible the aims which Dr. Nobel had intended by 

 his will. In this regard the committee in question 

 naturally had much better knowledge of the facts 

 than the testator. 



It was then acknowledged that it was impossible 

 to award the prize " to the person who shall have 

 contributed most materially to benefit mankind 

 during the year Immediately preceding." The 

 great inventions, especially the theoretical ones, 

 are generally not of such a nature that their value 

 is acknowledged immediately after their publica- 

 tion. It was therefore decided to change "pre- 

 ceding year " to " late times." I can not see that 

 this is a " violation " of tlie idea of the will. I 

 also think I can say that the authorities who have 

 the execution of the will in their hands have exer- 

 cised great care not to award prizes for discoveries 

 which have been made a very long time ago, al- 

 though many proposals to this effect have been 

 presented. The said institutions further agreed 

 that one tenth of the proceeds should annually be 

 added to the main fund in order to prevent a 

 decrease in the amount of the prizes on account 

 of any future lowering of the money value or the 

 rate of interest. Finally these institutions con- 

 sidered that the amounts, which could be set apart 

 for defraying of expenses connected with the 

 judging of the proposals submitted, should pri- 

 marily be used for the establishment of Nobel 

 Institutes, the purpose of which is to promote in 

 other ways the aims of the will. By this arrange- 

 ment the prizes have decreased (by 25 per cent.), 

 but I have not yet heard any prize winner criticize 

 this. Whether the recipient of a prize receives 

 $40,000, as is now the case, or $52,000 is rather 

 unimportant. The indirect result of the prizes is 

 the greatest. It may also be pointed out that the 

 distributors of the prizes have shown great im- 

 partiality in following the testators wishes, that 

 Scandinavians should not have any preference 

 before others. . . . This fall (1905) a Nobel Insti- 



tute in physical chemistry is to be established. 

 The annual expenditure for this (including rents, 

 etc.) is only $4,400. I have been elected chief of 

 this institute, and I expect to be able to promote 

 the aims of the will more in this capacity than 

 on account of the fact that I shall have received 

 a Nobel prize. 



As Professor Arrhenius says, an adjustment 

 of interests was amicably entered into to pre- 

 vent the possible loss of a considerable 

 amount of the funds by a long lawsuit, and in 

 the deed of adjustment it was affirmed and 

 declared by the testator's heirs, that: 



By these presents we do acknowledge and accept 

 Dr. Nobel's Will, and entirely and under all cir- 

 cumstances relinquish every claim for ourselves 

 and our posterity to the late Dr. Nobel's remaining 

 property, and to all participation in the adminis- 

 tration of the same, and also to the possession of 

 any right on our part to urge any criticism upon 

 the elucidations of, or additions to the said Will, 

 or upon any other prescriptions with regard to 

 the carrying out of the Will or the uses to which 

 the means accruing from the bequest are put, 

 which may either now or at some future time be 

 imposed for observance by the Crown or by those 

 who are thereto entitled: 



Subject, nevertheless, to the following express 

 provisos : 



(a) That the Code of Statutes which is to serve 

 in common as a guide for all the corporations 

 appointed to award prizes, and is to determine the 

 manner and the conditions of the distribution of 

 prizes appointed in the said Will, shall be drawn 

 up in consultation with a representative nominated 

 by Robert Nobel's family, and shall be submitted 

 to the consideration of the King; 



(6) That deviations from the following leading 

 principles shall not occur, viz.: 



That each of the annual prizes founded by the 

 said Will shall be awarded at least once during 

 each ensuing five-year period, the first of the 

 periods to run from and with the year next fol- 

 lowing that in which the Nobel-Foundation comes 

 into force, and 



That every amount so distributed in prizes in 

 each section shall under no consideration be less 

 than sixty (60) per cent, of that portion of the 

 annual interest that shall be available for the 

 award, nor shall the amount be apportioned to 

 more than a maximum of three (3) prizes. 



In an article reproduced in Science for Au- 

 gust 16, 1907, it is said in regard to the use 



