The Locomotive - Lighthouse Survival Blog

1901.] THE LOCOMOTIVE. q\
The by-laws governing the endowment were approved and signed last June at
Stockholm Palace by King Oscar of Norway and Sweden. Those who award the prizes
are named as follows: For physical sciences and chemistry, the Swedish Academy of
Science, of whose 175 members seventy-five are foreigners; for medicine, the Carolin
Institute of Medicine and Surgery, of Stockholm; for letters, the Academy of Stockholm,—
that is, the Swedish Academy; for peace works, a commission of five members
chosen by the Norwegian Storthing [i. e. the national parliament]. Each of these cor-
porations appoints a corresponding Nobel committee, which will act and report on prize
contestants in their respective fields. The committees are composed of three or five
members, foreigners as well as Scandinavians. Foreigners may also be members of the
commission appointed to decide the peace prize. The business and financial affairs of
the endowment as a whole are in the care of a council of administration at Stockholm,
which is made up of Swedes, five in all, four chosen by the corporations, and the fifth
or president, by the King. One of its duties is to pay out the prizes. This will take
place on each anniversary of the founder's death, December 10th, when the corporations
will assemble in solemn conclave, and formally proclaim the successful laureates. Each
of these will receive, besides the cash prize, a diploma and a gold medal bearing an
•effigy of the donator. Then, within six months, the winners are expected to deliver
public lectures on their subjects, either at Stockholm or at Christiania.
In case two leading competitors are equal, the prize will be divided between them
or, as regards the peace prize, the reward may be bestowed on an organization. But
should none of the candidates be deemed worthy, the prize will be witheld till the year
following. And should the same thing occur for two years in succession, the amount
will be turned into the principal fund, or else be used for the creation of a special fund,
which can be employed to encourage the same objects by other means than prizes. These
special funds and this auxiliary encouragement fall under the management of the Nobel
institutes. And just here enters another phase of the philanthropist's comprehensive
behest. He has provided for the founding and maintenance of five institutes, cor-
responding to the five sections, bound together by a central organization. These are to
aid in the examination of works and documents submitted as exhibits in behalf of prize
competitors. And in addition, they are to do all possible to encourage profitable activity
in these several lines of human endeavor. Each institute is to be founded bv the cor-
responding corporation, but afterwards it will enjoy the dignity of an independent
patron of learning.
To cover expenses of organization, 300,000 crowns for each section, or 1,500,000
crowns in all (about $350,000), may be taken from the endowment. The king authorizes
the project, the corporations appoint the council, and all is in readiness for the award of
prizes on the 10th of next December. So perhaps those who devotedly admire some
living hero, and would like to see him honored with the rich man's laurel of gold, mi^ht
care to know something of the methods of this prize distributing.
There are several general provisions which apply equally to all five sections. To
start with, no one can propose himself as a candidate for a prize—a naive reminder, by
the way, that selfishness and egotism are to be combated and not encouraged. The case
of each nominee must be made out by writings or documents. These supports of the
claim for a prize may be in Euglish, or in French, German, or Latin,—besides of course,
the native language. Invitations to those qualified to nominate contestants are sent out
every September by the Nobel committees. The nominations with documents should be
sent to the committees at Christiania before February 1st of the year following. An ex"
ception was made this year, however, and nominatious were received up to April 1st.