Evening star., 1923-10-29
m TODAY'S SPOTLIGHT
BY PAUL y. COLLINS

Is 1t an anomaly that a man whose
whole life had been devoted to the in
crease Of means OF destruction Of life
and properly. and by that effort had
accumulated all his great fortune
should. at his death. devote that for
tune to the. rewarding Of other mems
achievements in the paths Of peace
and science?
That Is the paradox Of Alfred
Harden Ncbers life. The inventor OF
nitroglycerin. dynamite and gian,
powder professed to believe through
out ali his activities that his products
would make war so terrible that they
would force civilization to outlaw
human carnage.
John Ericsson, the inventor of the
monitor, seld similar faith-that his
naval proaiky wouiu We so Iriesls.-
ibie that 1T would end naval war.
,, rare. Sir hiram Aiaxlm. insentor y.
nigh explosives and rapid-firing guns
pfUphesied tne same lor mis- Inslru-
ments or wholesale death. Yet wal
maQe terrfDle Is never ended by Its
| terrors. Perhaps II was the late
realization: OF this fact and sou!
regret at ahe CHASTITY results of his
own geniua which turned the mind Ol
the greatest inventor OF destructive
powers sIace the reign OF the goo
nor away from the arts of destruc-
ton to these OIL construction and Iife
preservation.
4 " \ \
This thought arises from last weeks
announcement that the NOBEL prize
tor the greatest medical achievement
OF the last year mad been awarded
TO DR.. F. &. Banting, a young assist
ant in research WORK in the physioi-
ogy department OF medical schoo.
at Toronto, who had discovered IN
suiin'-a cure LOT the hitherto incur
able disease, diabetes mellitus.
Alfred Harden Nobel was a Swede
yet he was far more than citizen OF
one nation-he was international In
his work. His first announcement in
chemical research for high explosives
came from the Gear OF Russia, and
his greatest factories were those
Quilt, first in Russia, with the czars
financing; and later in Austria ano
scotland ABOUT the time OF the
Franco Frussian war.
Prior 10 that he had gone to Paris
in 1861. TO solicit capital with which
60 make an oil" which would ex-
piode with such power that lit could
Diow up the world" But the capi-
! taiists feared that II 1t had such
potentiailties 1t might shake their
securities for other investments, and
not until Napoleon Ill saw 1t demon
strated was the inventor able to get
financial backing. Even then, it was
on condition that he locate his fac
tory outside of France-at Stock
noim.
He built his factory at Stockholm
and In : 1887 he produced nitrogly-
c-rin. Later, mixing the oil with a
clay foand in Austria, he hardened
| 1t and called it dynamite. Later still
he made for American industries and
military use what is known as
giant gunpowder."
- ~
In his will. Nobel provided q fund
to invest in safe securities. so that
| its interest would supply five gen.
erous Prizes annually to be given to
the greatest in scientific, literary and
peace achievements. one prize Is for
the greatest achievement of the yeaa
| In chemistry, one for physiology OIL
medicine, one for the greatest in.
vention in physics, one for the writer
whose work has the highest merit
from the standpoint OF Idealistic
sense and one for the man who
achieves most or works best for the
establishment of peace and the re.
ductiori of standing armies.
All :prizes are awarded by the
Academy Of Sciences of Sweden
through its various Institutes, ac-
cordinS to the science Of the award
| except the peace prize, which Is
awarded by a special commission OF
five members of the storthing of Nor
way. AIR. Nobel stipulated: My will
expressly Is that in the awarding OF
the prizes no account shall be taker
| of the nationality, so that the award
shall 80 to the most worthy, whether
he Is Scandinavian or not"
y
In 1901 the first prize In physics
went TO Wilhelm Rontgen. the In
ventor OF the rays which penetrate