NOBEL'S FORTUNE.
The distribution of the Nobel fortune has begun. There has rarely been anything so strange in the history of the disposal of wealth as the tribute of dynamite to the peace of the world. The inventor of dynamite, paradoxical as it may seem, may yet prove to have been one of the best friends of peace. . Every penny of M. Nobel's vast fortune may be traced back to a trifling incident m a day's work—to a leakage of nitro-glycerine from a cask. It was one of those trifles destined to affect the history not only of one man but of nations. The nitro-grycerine mixed with the siliceous sand of the packing, and that day Mr Nobel invented dynamite. For years he made the most deadly explosive known to men, and then, dying a peaceful death, he laid his vast fortune on the altar of humanity. He believed that large inherited incomes serve chiefly to promote the degeneration of man, and he disapproved even of children inheriting more from their parents than is necessary to fit them for the service of mankind. So it came about that the great dynamite fortune was handed over to the dreamers. M. Nobel divided it into five parts—three to the men who made the most important discoveries or improvements in natural philosophy, chemistry, and medicine, one for the author who produced the best book of an idealist character, and one for the man who did most to promote peace among the nations. The peace prize was left in the hands of the Norr wegian Parliament, which elected a committee of five to deal with it, and various Swedish authorities were entrusted with the rest. In December last the world's benefactors received their reward, and it is pleasant to find that the peace prize has been distributed between M. Henri Dunant (the poverty-stricken founder of the Red Cross Society) and M. Frederio Passy.
Permanent link to this item
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/ESD19020206.2.79
Bibliographic details
Evening Star, Issue 11675, 6 February 1902, Page 8
Word Count
319NOBEL'S FORTUNE. Evening Star, Issue 11675, 6 February 1902, Page 8
Using This Item
No known copyright (New Zealand)
To the best of the National Library of New Zealand’s knowledge, under New Zealand law, there is no copyright in this item in New Zealand.
You can copy this item, share it, and post it on a blog or website. It can be modified, remixed and built upon. It can be used commercially. If reproducing this item, it is helpful to include the source.
For further information please refer to the Copyright guide.