New-York tribune., 1905-02-12

sons If A. B and agree to recommend d, their sug
gestion must reach Stockholm in the shape OF three
IDENTICAL but separate, letters.
One result of this Nobel bequest undoubtedly Will
be to quicken the movement in Britain and in America
toward creating something corresponding to National
Academy which would be competent and authorized
to deal with such subjects. 1t certainly IS to be re-
gretted if genuine merit should be ignored because
those who know of it's existence do not take the equs
ite and prescribed for bringing it before the
attention of the Judges at Chrtiania and at Stockholm
The following are the in which the testatOr in
dicated his wishes to his executors: After leaving his
fortune of about five million dollars to his trustees,
in order that they might devote the annually accrung
interest to those who the course of the preceding
year had rendered the greatest service to mankind,
he set forth his wishes in the following terms:
THE entire will be divided into five equal parts,
one to 90 to the man who shall have made the most
important discovery or invention, In the domain OF
physical science; another to the man who shall have
made the most important discovery introduced the
greatest improvement in chemistry; the third to the
author of the most important discovery in the domain
of physiology medicine the fourth to the man who
shall have produced the remarkable literary work
of dealistic nature and finally the fifth to the per-
son who has done most abored best for the cause
of fraternity among different peoples for the suppress
reduction of standing armies, or Tor the pro-
motion of peace congresses
As there may be some dispute the translatons,
it NAV be well to quote the French of the statutes
which were drawn up by the Swedish Government on
Iune 2o 1900 in accordance with the provisions OF
Nobes will. The prizes it is set FORTH must be given:
A ceux qui de rannGe eCOulGe auront rendu
a lhumante les plus grands services" To what
this means one has to read further the instructions
for the separate prizes, for example, to that in
Physics the rule A ceui qui dams la domaine
des sciences physques fait la decouverte Tin
vention la plus importante." In Literature the rule
runs "A celui qui produit Touvrage littGrare
le plus remarquable dams la de lidealisme. In
the case of the Peace prize: - celui qui lie
plus ou lie neux pour Toeuvre de la fraternit6 des
pepes pour Ia suppression la reduction des armees
permanentes alnS que pour la formation ct la propa
cation des Congress de la paiX."
The first thing that leaps to the eye the moment
we compare the awards with the statutes is that the
first condition laid down by Nobel has been set at naught
absolutely by the adiudicators. The pious founder
expressly stipulated that the prizes had to go to those
'qui au cours de Iannee ecoulGe in the of
the previous twelve months had rendered the greatest
services humanity. The adjudcators almost invar-
ably have set this provision to side They
have considered themselves free to reward services
rendered humanity long before Nobel left his
fortune to reward the services of those who to
come The first Peace prize divided between
Dunant, for founding the Red Cross Society, nearly
fifty years ago, and the veteran French ex-senator,
peace when Nobel was youth. Cremer the English
veteran who founded the Interpariamentary Confer
ence did so in the eighties
As it with the Peace prizes, so it
less with all the other prizes. If Harvey had been
alive, they would have given him the prize for dis
covering the circulation of the blood Instead of
rewarding those who had achieved most in a single
year, which the testators express will and inten-
ton, they allowed themselves a
free hand to all a Nv ~
viving notabes, and decorate them, ~ IN Y
regardless of the date of their
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