ItwasintheSchoolofPhysics,intheoldbuildingsoftheCollegeRollin,thatPierreCuriewasdestinedtowork,firstasDirectorofLaboratoryWork,thenasProfessor,fortwenty-twoyears,aperiodcoveringpracticallythewholeofhisscientificlife.Hismemoryseemedtoclingtotheseoldbuildings,nowdestroyed,inwhichhehadpassedallhisdays,returningonlyintheeveningtohisparentsinthecountry.HecountedhimselffortunatesinceheenjoyedthefavoroftheFounder-DirectorSchutzenberger,andtheesteemandgoodwillofhisstudents,manyofwhombecamehisdisciplesandfriends.Inalludingtothisexperience,atthecloseofanaddressdeliveredattheSorbonneneartheendofhislife,hesaid:
"IdesiretorecallherethatwehavemadeallourinvestigationsintheSchoolofPhysicsandChemistryofthecityofParis.Inallcreativescientificworktheinfluenceofthesurroundingsinwhichoneworksisofgreatimportance,andapartoftheresultisduetothatinfluence.FormorethantwentyyearsIhaveworkedintheSchoolofPhysicsandChemistry.Schutzenberger,thefirstdirectoroftheSchool,wasaneminentscientist.IrememberwithgratitudethatheprocuredformeopportunitiesformyowninvestigationswhenIwasyetbutanassistant.Later,hepermittedMadameCurietoworkbesideme,anauthorizationwhichwasatthattimefarfromanordinaryinnovation.Schutzenbergerallowedusallgreatliberty;hisdirectionmadeitselffeltchieflythroughhisinspiringloveofscience.TheprofessorsoftheSchoolofPhysicsandChemistry,andthestudentswhohavegonefromit,havecreatedakindlyandstimulatingatmospherethathasbeenextremelyhelpfultome.Itisamongtheoldstudentsoftheschoolthatwehavefoundourcollaboratorsandourfriends.Iamhappytobeable,here,tothankthemall."
Thenewlyappointeddirectorofthelaboratorywas,whenhefirstassumedhisduties,scarcelyolderthanhisstudents,wholovedhimbecauseofhisextremesimplicityofmanner,whichwasmuchmorethatofacomradethanofamaster.Someofthesestudentsrecallwithemotiontheirworkcarriedonwithhimandhisdiscussionattheblackboard,wherehereadilyallowedhimselftobeledtodebatescientificmatterstotheirgreatprofitbothininformationandinkindledenthusiasm.AtadinnergiveninbytheAssociationofFormerStudentsoftheSchool,whichheattended,helaughinglyrecalledanincidentofthisperiod.Onedayafterlingeringlatewithseveralstudentsinthelaboratory,hefoundthedoorlocked,andtheyallhadtoclimbdownfromthefirstfloorsinglefile,alongapipethatrannearoneofthewindows.
Becauseofhisreserveandshynesshedidnotmakeacquaintanceseasily,butthosewhoseworkbroughtthemnearhimlovedhimbecauseofhiskindliness.Thiswastrueofhissubordinatesduringhisentirelife.Intheschoolhislaboratoryhelper,whomhehadaidedundertryingcircumstances,thoughtofhimwiththegreatestgratitude,infact,withveritableadoration.
Althoughseparatedfromhisbrother,heremainedboundtohimbytheirformerbondofloveandconfidence.Duringvacations,JacquesCuriewouldcometohimthattheymightrenewagainthatvaluablecollaborationtowhichbothwillinglysacrificedtheirperiodsofliberty.AttimesitwasPierrewhojoinedJacques,whowasengagedinmakingageologicalchartoftheAuvergnecountry,andtheretheycoveredtogetherthedailydistancesnecessarytothetracingofsuchamap.
Hereareafewmemoriesoftheselongwalks,extractsfromaletterwrittentomeshortlybeforeourmarriage:
"Ihavebeenveryhappytopassalittletimewithmybrother.Wehavebeenfarfromallimmediatecare,andsoisolatedbyourmanneroflivingthatwehavenotevenbeenabletoreceivealetter,neverknowingonenightwherewewouldsleepthenext.Attimesitseemedtomethatwehadgonebacktothedayswhenwelivedentirelytogether.Thenwealwaysarrivedatthesameopinionsaboutallthings,withtheresultthatitwasnolongernecessaryforustospeakinordertounderstandeachother.Thiswasallthemoreastonishingbecausewedifferedsoentirelyincharacter."
Fromthepointofviewofscientificinvestigation,onemustrecognizethatthenominationofPierreCurietotheSchoolofPhysicsandChemistryretardedfromtheveryfirsthisexperimentalresearch.Indeed,atthetimeofhisappointmentnothingyet,existedinthatestablishment;everythinghadtobecreated.Eventhewallsandthepartitionswerehardlyyetinplace.Hehad,therefore,toorganizecompletelythelaboratoryanditswork,andheacquittedhimselfofthistaskinaremarkablemanner,injectingintoitthespiritofprecisionandoriginalitysocharacteristicofhim.
Thedirectionofthelaboratoryworkofthelargenumberofstudents(thirtybypromotion)wasaloneastrainonayoungman,assistedashewasonlybyonelaboratoryhelper.Thefirstyearswere,therefore,hardyearsofassiduouswork,ofbenefitchieflytothestudentstrainedanddevelopedbytheyounglaboratorydirector.
Hehimselfprofitedbythisenforcedinterruptionofhisexperimentalresearchbytryingtocompletehisscientificstudiesand,inparticular,hisknowledgeofmathematics.Atthesametimehebecameengrossedinconsiderationsofatheoreticalnatureontherelationsbetweencrystallographyandphysics.