Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1921-03-21

81 s* as much enthusiasm az
II $* this simple and unas-
Stunning scientist.
ssS"Sa It seems strange that
America, which has
DR.. F. G. Wood. always been credited
with the development
OF materialism to the nth degree, should de-
sire to do honor to one who has cared Moth
inS for the material things Of this life. In
France some years ago. it is true, when a
referendum was taken throughout the coun-
try to decide who, in the opinion Of the
common people, had brought most glory to
the nation it was not. strange to say, Napo-
leon they chose: 1t was not a statesman; it
was not man Of affairs; it was a simple
scientist who had worked In his laboratory
for the love Of work and without the ex-
pectation of any material reward. Pasteur
was his name. He had conferred upon his
country more fame than is given to most Of
the great ones Of this earth.
Nine. Curie,s Story Romance
OF Latter Day Science
Nine. Curie was born in Poland, educated
in Paris in the famous institutions which
have been in existence there for more than
five times the life Of the American nation
and married to a French physicist, then
utterly unknown to fame except to select
coterie OF specialists Suddenly this woman
became world famous.
After the discovery Of X-rays by Prof.
Roentgen several French scientists at
tempted to see whether x-rays were given
off by great variety of chemicals. By
strange accident one Of the chemicals first
selected was an old specimen Of a salt Of
uranium which had stood on the laboratory
shelves in the sorbonne for many years. It
was found that this salt would give picture
a nhnfofyra rhir Mate fhrnnph a
sheet Of black paper or piece Of thin wood.
The source Of this uranium salt was traced
to pitchblend mine in Austria, the prop
erty Of the Austrian Government. Some OF
the original pitchblend ore was obtained and
found also to be capable OF acting on
Photographic plate just as the x-rays did.
Nine Curie was we'll known as competent
chemist and her husband as man Of great
scientific ability. To them Prof. Becquerel.
who had made these experiments, turned for
assistance They first found that other sub
stances-for instance, thorium-would do
the same thing as uranium would.
AS the uranium ore was very expensive.
the CURES could not afford to buy any Of it,
nor was the Sorbonne any more wealthy
than the usual educational institution. The
Austrian Government. however, kindly pre-
scented to Nine. Curie a ton or SO Of the
residues left after the uranium was removed.
cial value. chiefly in coloring glass and In
certain processes OF chemical analyses, the
residues were of little value. Nine. Curie
summoned to her assistance a number OF
chemists, and they analysed this ton Of ore
residue with most minute care and patience.
It was found as one metal after another
was gradually separated from this extremely
complex mixture that certain groups-for
example, barium and bismuth-showed
~t,{o mi 0fn nffa Rxl,h{n
ordinary barium and bismuth did not show.
Looking for These Unknowns,
Radiun and Polonium Were Found
To the trained mind OF Nine. Curie this
was evidence that mixed with these sub
stances and closely resembling them chem
;cally there must be elements hitherto un-
known which mad powers OF darkening
Photographic plates and discharging electr1-
fled bodies
After months of careful labor few crys-
tails OF purified substance were obtained. the
whole amounting to not much more than
could be held on the point of knife. and
these were the new elements in question.
One Of these elements Nine. Curie named
poloaum in honor of her native country,
and the other discovered later. was named
radium. Polonium has since been found to
be product Of the destruction Of radium
1t is d1ffCult TOT any one not acquainted
with the exploring habit OF the scientific
mind to realize the amount OF labor which
went on in the dingy little laboratory, not
much more than cellar, where Nine. Curie
worked. It is possible perhaps to under
sts::d why Pcary struggled through frost
and snow to the North Pole. It is easier
to know what propels the miner to the gold
field or the prospector to the diamond mine;
the motive OF the business man is simpler
still. But what is 1t that keeps frajl
woman working day after day. night after
night, month after month and year after
year in quest of something to her OF no
value. OF which she possesses at
the present time not fragment. but which
has brought untold benefit to the human
race at large?
Nine Curie did not patent her discovery:
she never tried to obtain fee for informa-
ton rendered: she never concealed any OF
er methods; everything was open and
above board SO that any one could repeat
all the work she had done as soon as her
papers were published. She and her hus-
oane even sacrificed their small savings in
order to obtain the necessary chemicals and
glassware for the further pursuit Of the :
work. Everything she had she gave to it,
md she still sits in her laboratory in the
sorbonne with no source Of income except
he salary which the Government pays her,
With no interests except the pursuit Of