Evening star., 1902-01-04
Peacemakeg and Poets Rewarded by
Nobel Prizes.
some RECIPIENTS IN SAD STRAITS
Fortunate Ones Plan to Give Theirs
to Poor Versemakers.
LIFE WORK OF sAvANT

Speclal correspondence OF Inc Evening star.
PARIS, December 20. 1901.
Alfred Nobel the Norwegian savant and
philanthropist, whose name Is associated
with the greatest scientific discoveries of
the past century-of nitroglycerine, dyna-
mite, smokeiess powder, steel-bronze, the
refining of naphtha and the production and
varied uses of petroleum-had just signed
his last will and testament establishing
those prtncely prizes Of which all Europe
is talking today.
Smiling sadly, paper in hand, he said to
his friend, the notary: ''Do you know that
with these regulations myself would never
have been able to win single one of these
prizes?
Very strangely, the lifework of this
strange man-who was in his heart poet,
an idealist and a worshiper Of peace and
the brotherhood of man-was to multiply
the means of killing. And here is a still
stranger contradictions: Nobel thought that
the best way to render war impossible
must be to increase the terror Of it among
the peoples by the most mmrderous inven-
tions; yet one of the first prizes awarded
under his will goes to the venerable founder
Of the Red Cross Society, whose work Is to
attenuate the evils Of war-to diminish the
fears Of the soldiers sent to butchery.
And yet again the award is in strict con-
formity with the provisions Of the will, "to
the one who has done most to realize the
brotherhood of man, the suppression Of per-
manent armies or the foundation Of peace"
The other prizes, just awarded for the first
time at Stockholm, go to (a) the most i'm
portant discovery in physics, (b) the most
brilliant discovery or ameloration in chem
ical science, (c) the most useful discovery
in physiology or general medicine, and (d)
to the poet, philosopher or writer who has
produced work superior in the sense of
idealism." Altogether it makes a strange
disposition of the annual interest of a for
tune amassed in the invention and manu-
facture of the deadliest of war munitions.
Yet no one ever doubted the purity Of AL
fred Nobel's principles; the contradiction
is in the nature of things.
OF these first five annual prizes two go
to Frenchmen, one of them being shared
with French-Swiss. OF the venerable
Dunant, the forgotten founder Of the Red
Cross, Jules Claretie has Just been saying:
do not look for his name in the biograph-
ical dictionaries or the lists Of illustrious
contemporaries He has killed no one, in
suited no one, hated no one, injured no one.
Gently and silently he has upset the world
immense pity" Yet until this prize of
100000 francs was voted him scarcely any
body knew his name "Dunant? A Nobel
prize to Henry Dunant7 Who is Henry
ionable lady said to Claretie. when 1 told
her that Dunant was the apostle of the Red
Cross she replied simply, Then he is a
saint +"
and Henry Dunant, weak and aged man,
after half lifetime Of neglect and OBJ
livion-which he welcomed in his modesty-
is known as enc Of the great men of Eu-
rope. The reward comes to him late. For
five years past he has been one of the in
habitants of a hospital eors old mems home
in the environs of Geneva. vegetating as
becomes his advanced age but, not with
the honors he might readily and properly
have retained. He saw the Red Cross So
ciety triumphantly established in ruling
position, treating as an equal with the
powers OF the world. He saw himself old
and no longer able to work for it. So he
simply stepped out-and others stepped into
his place.
Henry Dunant, born at Geneva in 1928,
was wealthy and cultivated young man,
travelling for his pleasure in 1859, the year
of the battle of Solferino. Forty thousand
wounded and dead lay on the field and aid
lances and nurses. Later, under the i'm
preston of the horrible experience, he
wrote the Souvenir of Solferino," which
stirred the whole "civilized' world to pity,
Then great inspiration came to the
wealthy young man. He resolved to OBJ
tain the universal naturalization in all
future wars of all sanitary service and aid
to the wounded.
Gave Life and Fortune.
To this task he devoted his life and his
fortune, Travelled over all Europe be-
sieging ministers and even penetrating to
sovereigns.' The principle he sought to
have recognized is: THE wounded are neu-
trails What he at last obtained instead
was the agreement of the international con-
vention Of Geneva. In it the governments
agree to keep a certain measure of saw
opo nnf 70 fhn hA1,,l
wounded, and even to give certain aid to
wounded enemies. Dunant knew one mo-
ment Of glory. At the exposition of 1867
he received addresses Of thanks, was al
lowed to kiss the hands of queens and en-
presses, was decorated and had the pleas
ure of seeing hts bust crowned with laurel
But no one thought of collecting together
and restoring to him the fortune he had
to attain his end. Dunant grew
poorer and poorer When he could no
longer work he retired to the charitable in
stitution where the notification of his
tardy recompense has reached him Now,
thanks to the brotherly love of a million