VeryfortunatelyforPierre,whocouldnot,aswecansee,becomeabrilliantpupilinalycee,hisparentshadasufficientlykeenintelligencetounderstandhisdifficulty,andtheyrefrainedfromdemandingoftheirsonaneffortwhichwouldhavebeenprejudicialtohisdevelopment.If,then,Pierre'searliestinstructionwasirregularandincomplete,ithadtheadvantageofnotsoweighingonhisintelligenceastodeformitbydogmas,prejudicesorpreconceivedideas.Andhewasalwaysgratefultohisparentsforthisveryliberalattitude.Hegrewupinallfreedom,developinghistastefornaturalsciencethroughhisexcursionsintothecountry,wherehecollectedplantsandanimalsforhisfather.Theseexcursions,whichhemadeeitheraloneorwithoneofthefamily,helpedtoawakeinhimagreatloveofNature,apassionwhichenduredtotheendofhislife.
IntimatecontactwithNature,which,becauseoftheartificialconditionsofcitylifeandoftraditionaleducation,fewchildrencanknow,hadadecisiveinfluenceonPierre'sdevelopment.Guidedbyhisfather,helearnedtoobservefactsandtointerpretthemcorrectly.HebecamefamiliarwiththeanimalsandplantsoftheenvironsofParis.Heknewwhichonescouldbefoundateachseasonoftheyearintheforestsandfields,thestreamsandponds.Thepondsinparticularhadforhimanevernewattractionwiththeircharacteristicvegetationandtheirpopulationoffrogs,tritons,salamanders,dragonflies,andotherdenizensofairandwater.Noeffortstoobtaintheobjectsofhisinterestsseemedtoogreatforhim.Heneverhesitatedtotakeanyanimalinhishandsinordertoexamine,itmoreclosely.Later,afterourmarriage,inourwalkstogether,ifImadesomeobjectiontolettinghimputafrogintomyhands,hewouldexclaim:"Butno,seehowprettyitis!"Helovedalways,too,tobringbackbouquetsofwildflowersfromhiswalks.
Thushisknowledgeofnaturalhistoryprogressedrapidly.Atthesametime,also,hewasmasteringtheelementsofmathematics.Hisclassicalstudies,onthecontrary,hadbeenmuchneglected,anditwasprincipallythroughgeneralreadingthatheacquiredaknowledgeofliteratureandhistory.Hisfather,whowaswidelycultured,possessedalibrarycontainingmanyFrenchandforeignworks.Havinghimselfaverypronouncedtasteforreading,hewasabletocommunicateittohisson.
Whenhewasaboutfourteenyearsold,averyhappyeventoccurredinPierre'seducation.Hewasputunderanexcellentprofessor,A.Bazille,whotaughthimelementaryandadvancedmathematics.Thismasterwasabletoappreciatehisyoungpupil,becamemuchattachedtohim,anddirectedhisworkwiththegreatestsolicitude.HeevenhelpedhimtoadvanceinhisstudyofLatin,inwhichhewasverymuchbehind.AtthesametimePierreandAlbertBazille,hisprofessor'sson,becamefriends.
Thisteachinghad,Iamsure,agreatinfluenceonthemindofPierre,aidinghimtodevelopandtosoundthedepthofhisfacultiesandtorealizehiscapacitiesforscience.Hehadaremarkableaptitudeformathematics,whichexpresseditselfchieflybyacharacteristicgeometricspiritandagreatpowerofspatialvision.He,therefore,progressedrapidlyandjoyfullyinhisstudiesunderM.Bazille,forwhomhealwaysfeltanunalterablegratitude.
Heoncetoldmesomethingwhichprovedthatevenatthistimehewasnotcontentsolelytofollowafixedprogramofstudies,butthathehadalreadybeguntolaunchoutintopersonalinvestigation.Stronglyattractedbythetheoryofdeterminants,whichhehadjustmastered,heundertooktorealizeananalogousconception,butinthreedimensions,andendeavoredtodiscoverthepropertiesandusesofthese"cubicaldeterminants."Needlesstosaythatathisage,andwiththeknowledgethenathisdisposal,suchanenterprisewasbeyondhispowers.Theattempt,however,wasnonethelessindicativeofhisawakeninginventivespirit.
Severalyearslater,whenpreoccupiedwithreflectionsuponsymmetry,heaskedhimselfthequestion:"Couldnotonefindageneralmethodforthesolutionofanyequationwhatever?Everythingisaquestionofsymmetry."HedidnotthenknowofGalois'theoryofgroupswhichhadmadeitpossibletoattackthisproblem.Buthewashappylatertolearnitsresultsinthegeometricapplicationstothecaseofequationsofthethdegree.
Thankstohisrapidprogressinmathematicsandphysics,PierreCuriewasmadeabachelorofscienceattheageofsixteenyears.Withthishepassedhismostdifficultstageofformaleducation.Theonlythingwithwhichhehadtoconcernhimselfinthefuturewastheacquisitionofknowledgethroughhispersonalandindependenteffortinafieldofsciencefreelychosen.