第27章 美国之行 (2)
《居里夫人自传》章节:第27章 美国之行 (2),宠文网网友提供全文无弹窗免费在线阅读。!
这次美国之行，遗憾的是我没有充足的时间去对各个实验室和科学研究机构进行参观。在不多的几次这样的参观中，我每次都是有着极大的兴趣的。每到一处，我都会发现美国人非常关心科学事业的发展，并且力求在实验室的仪器设备方面做到完善。有些地方在建立新的实验室，而旧实验室也都用新的仪器进行了配备。每个实验室都高大明亮，而不像法国的那样狭小而又拥塞。在美国，实验室的经费多半是由私人捐赠或各种不同的基金会供给的。有一个全国研究会，全部都是依靠私人捐赠建立起来的，它的宗旨就是激励科学研究，使其得到发展，并在科研与工业生产之间搭建桥梁、建立合作。
我还颇有兴趣地对华盛顿的标准局进行了参观。这是全国性的科学计量与相关研究的重要机构。由美国妇女界赠送给我的镭，被分装在几支玻璃管中，就陈放于这里。该局的工作人员还认真地计量了这些镭，并将其装置妥当，安全地送到我所乘坐的邮轮上。
在华盛顿的时候，我还对一处新建的实验室进行了参观，这个实验室是专门利用液态氢与液态氦来进行低温研究的。我很荣幸地为该实验室的启用揭幕。
在对一些实验室进行参观时，我非常高兴能同一些著名的美国科学家会面。和他们的交谈成为我这次访美旅行中最为愉快的事情。
美国有一些镭疗医院，医院又全部设有实验室，专门进行镭射气提炼，并将其封固在玻璃管中以备应用。这些医院储存着不少的镭，医疗条件也很好，在那些医院里接受镭疗的患者不少。在对几家这类医院参观完毕后，令我深感遗憾的是，在法国，没有一家国立医院拥有这么多的镭与这么优良的仪器设备，所以镭疗远远比不上美国的发达。我期待着这一差距能够尽快地缩短。
镭工业在法国兴起，但却在美国得以飞速发展。这是因为美国具有大量的含镭铀矿(钒、钾、铀矿)能够保证供应①。在旅行途中，我还到美国最大的制镭工厂参观过，感触很深。工作人员的创新精神令我感到非常高兴。该工厂保存的一些胶片上记录着在科罗拉多州广阔的工地上工人们采矿与运矿的情景，以及于这些镭含量微小的矿石之中提炼出镭的过程。他们的提炼方法与程序同我们在实验室里所做的一样，没有丝毫差别。
在我对这些镭工厂和厂内附设的实验室进行参观时，工作人员对我极为尊敬，并且盛情地接待了我。在我对一个炼制新钍的工厂进行参观时，工作人员还送了我少许的新钍，工厂的主人还表示愿意在科研方面给予我帮助。
为了对美国之行的印象和感受进行全面地描述，我必须简略地介绍一下美国的风土人情。但要真地做到这一点还挺困难，因为美国幅员辽阔，各地的风土人情又各不相同，这本小小的书很难做到面面俱到。如果只对大致印象进行阐述，我可以说，美国的未来是不可估量的。雄伟壮观的尼亚加拉大瀑布、光怪陆离的大峡谷……留给我的回忆都是难以忘怀而又非常清晰的。
月日，我又在纽约港码头登上了两个月前载我来到美国的那艘邮轮返回法国。急匆匆地，两个月过去了，我不能对美国与美国人妄加评论。但是所到之处，人们对我与我的两个女儿的隆重而又热情的接待，使我深受感动，这种感情是很难用语言来表达的。主人们想尽一切办法使我感到像回到家里那样。许多美国人对我说道，他们曾经也在法国受到过同样的热情接待，就如同在自己的家中一样。当我回到法国的时候，除了对美国妇女赠给我珍贵的礼品表示深深的感谢之外，还深切地感觉到我们两个伟大国家之间的友谊的亲切与珍贵。我相信，只要法国同美国两国人民共同努力，就将能够为人类和平相处带来无尽的希望。
由于最近于比属刚果发现了一个铀矿，因此在安菲尔斯特建立了一座大型制镭工厂。——原作者注
Chapter IV A Visit to America
My beautiful voyage to the United States of America resulted, as is known, from the generous initiative of an American woman, Mrs. Meloney, editor of an important magazine, the Delineator, who, having planned the gift of a gramme of radium to me by her countrywomen, succeeded in a few months in bringing this plan to execution, and asked me to come over and receive the gift personally.
The idea was that the gift would come exclusively from the American women. A committee including several prominent women and distinguished scientific men received some important gifts, and made an appeal for a public subscription, to which a great number of women's organizations, especially colleges and clubs, responded. In many cases gifts came from persons who had experienced the benefit of radiumtherapy. In this way was collected the \"Marie Curie Radium Fund\" of more than one hundred thousand dollars for the purchase of a gramme of radium. The President of the United States, Mr. Harding, kindly agreed to deliver the gift in a ceremony at the White House.
The Committee invited me and my daughters to the United States in May, and even though it was not vacation time for me, I accepted the invitation with the consent of the University of Paris.
All care of the voyage was taken away from me. Mrs. Meloney came to France in time to be present at a manifestation organized on the th of April in favor of the Radium Institute of Paris by the magazine Je Sais Tout, and accompanied by sincere expressions of sympathy for the American nation. On May th, we took passage at Cherbourg on the Olympic for New York.
The program of my voyage prepared by the Committee seemed very intimidating. It was announced that I would not only attend the ceremony at the White House, but also visit many universities and colleges in several towns. Some of these institutions had contributed to the Fund; all desired to offer me honors. The vitality and the activity of the American nation produces programs on a large scale. On the other hand, the wideness of the country has developed in American citizens the custom of long travel. But during all that travel I was protected with the greatest care, in order to lighten as far as possible the inevitable fatigue of the voyage and the receptions. America not only gave me a generous welcome, but also true friends whom I could not thank enough for their kindness and their devotion.