The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1906-06-13
GREAT LOSS IN ONE MANS DEATH
Killing of Prof. Curie a Disaster TO the
Scientific World.

Scientific world.
The stupendous tragedy in San Fran
cisco. which held the world in awe,
made such an absorbing claim ON the
public interest and Imagination that
the sudden end Of the career Of Pierre
Curie, the co-discoverer with his tai
ented wife of the wonderful element
Of radium, has been almost overlooked,
declares the London correspondent of
the New York Sun. Yet the opinion
may be hazarded without the least
derogation from the claims of the San
Francisco drama upon human sym.
pathy that the premature death of the
simple lived, retiring scientist who
was killed by foolish freak of fate
in a Paris street was an event OF
greater actual Importance to humanity
than the terrors which convulsed q
comparatively small section Of the
worlds population on the Pacific Coast.
One need only recall some of the pos.
sibllities to which the possession of the
new element opened the way 70 realize
the loss to the world of one of the pair
OF master minds which brought II to
light. The potential aid of rad!um
in combating cancer alone concelvably
compensates from the broad human
viewpoint the tragedy Of any war,
earthquake or fire.
Nothing is known at the moment of
the work on which DIR. Curie was &C.
tually engaged at the time of his death,
but his unremitting devotion to sci.
ence and his despisal of all public dis
tinction and social distractions had led
the scientific world to look to him and
his wife to lead the way to further
epoch-making discoveries. 1t was char.
acteristic of the man that he refused
the decoration Of the Legion of Honor
as useless, that when he had obtained
some few decigrammes of radium he
rejected a rich mans offer Of half
wanted the precious stuff to work upon
and that he only accepted the Nobel
prize and certain subventions so that
he might consecrate the money to fur.
ther research. When he accepted the
professors chair at the Sorbonne in
1905 it was on condition of having a
laboratory furnished there where he
could continue his labors in company
with his wife. 1t is coincidence that
the Ministry of Public instruction is
sued official documents relative to the
erection of this laboratory on the same
day that Professor Curie was killed.
1t is interesting to note that Profes-
sor Curie as a boy seemed so stupid at
school that his parents withdrew him
and put him under a private tutor. All
through his years of study, including
the final preparations for the arts de-
gree he was hampered by the necessity
of studying uncongenial subjects. 1t
was only when he was free to follow
his natural bent that his powers We're
manifested.
1t is not surprising to learn that Pro-
fessor Curie was generally so alb
sorbed mentally that he was unaware
of happenings around him. There is
no doubt that his untlmely death can
be ascribed TO this.
While crossing the street in front of
n cab which an ordinary man would
have passed behind, he suddenly be-
came aware of his danger and ran into
pair of horses drawing dray, which
he apparently did not see. and fell be-
meath the wheels of the dray.
Professor Curie's devoted laboratory
assistant. on viewing the body at the
police office, said tearfully: II knew
my dear master would be killed some
day. He was very imprudent and was
constantly dreaming when walking the
streets"