,,remarks ,,of ,,the ,,president        
,,in ,,presenting ,,to                  
,,madam ,,curie                         
,a ,,gift ,,of ,,radium ,,from ,,the    
,,american ,,people                     
#c ,p4 ,m41 ,,may #bj1 #aiba            
,illustration3 ,seal of the ,president  
of the ,,usa                            
,,washington                            
,,government ,,printing ,,office        
#aiba                                   
,,remarks      ,,madame ,,curie3    ,it 
is with an especial satisfaction that ,i
 perform the pleasant duty  which has   
been assigned to me today4 ,on behalf of
 the ,american ,nation ,i  greet and    
welcome you to our country1 in which you
 will everywhere find  the most cordial 
possible reception4 ,we welcome you as  
an adopted  daughter of ,france1 our    
earliest supporter among the great      
nations4 ,we  greet you as a native-born
 daughter of ,poland2 newest1 as it is  
also  among the oldest1 of the great    
nations1 and always bound by ties of    

closest sympathy to our own ,republic4  
,in you we see the representative  of   
,poland restored and reinstated to its  
rightful place1 of ,france  valiantly   
maintained in the high estate which has 
ever been its right4    ,as a nation    
whose womanhood has been exalted to     
fullest participation in  citizenship1  
we are proud to honor in you a woman    
whose work has earned  universal acclaim
 and attested woman's equality in every 
intellectual  and spiritual activity4   
,we greet you as foremost among         
scientists in the age of science1 as    
leader among women in the generation    
which sees woman come tardily into  her 
own4 ,we greet you as an exemplar of    
liberty's victories in the  generation  
wherein liberty has won her crown of    
glory4    ,in doing honor to you we     
testify anew our pride in the ancient   
friendships which have bound us to both 
the country of your adoption and  that  
of your nativity4 ,we exalt anew our    
pride that we have stood with  them in  

the struggle for civilization1 and have 
touched elbows with them  in the march  
of progress4    ,it has been your       
fortune1 ,madame ,curie1 to accomplish  
an immortal work  for humanity4 ,we are 
not without understanding of the trials 
and  sacrifices which have been the     
price of your achievement4 ,we know     
something of the fervid purpose and deep
 devotion which inspired you4 ,we  bring
 to you the meed of honor which is due  
to preeminence in science1  scholarship1
 research1 and humanitarianism4 ,but    
with it all we bring  something more4   
,we lay at your feet the testimony of   
that love which all  the generations of 
men have been wont to bestow upon the   
noble woman1  the unselfish wife1 the   
devoted mother4 ,if1 indeed1 these      
simpler and  commoner relations of life 
could not keep you from great           
attainments in  the realms of science   
and intellect1 it is also true that the 
zeal1  ambition1 and unswerving purpose 
of a lofty career could not bar you     

from splendidly doing all the plain but 
worthy tasks which fall to every        
woman's lot4    ,a number of years ago a
 reader of one of your earlier works on 
radio-active substances noted the       
observation that there was much         
divergence of opinion as to whether the 
energy of radio-active  substances is   
created within those substances         
themselves1 or is  gathered to them from
 outside sources1 and then diffused from
 them4 ,the  question suggested an      
answer which is doubtless hopelessly    
unscientific4  ,i have liked to believe 
in an analogy between the spiritual and 
the  physical world4 ,i have been very  
sure that that which ,i may call the    
radio-active soul1 or spirit1 or        
intellect--call it what you             
choose--must first gather to itself1    
from its surroundings1 the power  that  
it afterwards radiates in beneficence to
 those near it4 ,i believe  it is the   
sum of many inspirations1 borne in on   
great souls1 which  enables them to     

warm1 to scintillate1 to radiate1 to    
illumine and serve  those about them4 ,i
 am so sure of this explanation for the 
radio-active  personality that ,i feel  
somehow a conviction that science will  
one day  establish a like explanation   
for radioactivity among inanimate       
substances4    ,perhaps1 in my innocence
 of science1 ,i am airily rushing in    
where  scientists fear to tread4 ,but ,i
 am trying to express to you my         
conviction that the great things        
achieved by great minds would never     
have been wrought without the           
inspiration of an appealing need for    
them4  ,that appeal comes as inspiration
 to successful effort1 and success in   
turn enables the outgiving of benefits  
to millions whose only  contribution has
 been the power of their united appeal4 
,let me press the analogy a little      
farther4 ,the world to-day is appealing 
to its statesmen1 its sociologists1 its 
humanitarians1 and its religious        
leaders for solution of appalling       

problems4 ,i want to hope that the      
power and universality of that appeal   
will inspire strong1 devout1            
consecrated men and women to seek out   
the solution1 and1 in the light of      
their wisdom1 to carry it to all        
mankind4 ,i have faith to believe that  
precisely that will happen2 and in your 
own career of fine achievement ,i  find 
heartening justification for my faith4  
,in testimony of the affection of the   
,american people1 of their  confidence  
in your scientific work1 and of their   
earnest wish that your  genius and      
energy may receive all encouragement to 
carry forward your  efforts for the     
advance of science and conquest of      
disease1 ,i have been  commissioned to  
present to you this little phial of     
radium4 ,to you we  owe our knowledge   
and possession of it1 and so to you we  
give it1  confident that in your        
possession it will be the means further 
to unveil  the fascinating secrets of   
nature1 to widen the field of useful    

knowledge1 to alleviate suffering among 
the children of man4 ,take it to  use as
 your wisdom shall direct and your      
purpose of service shall  incline you4  
,be sure that we esteem it but a small  
earnest of the  sentiments for which it 
stands4 ,it betokens the affection of   
one great  people for another4 ,it will 
remind you of the love of a grateful    
people  for yourself2 and it will       
testify in the useful work to which you 
will  devote it1 the reverence of       
mankind for one of its foremost         
benefactors  and most beloved of women4 
,illustration