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philosophy will be found who will help you to get your doctorate. In the meantime,,
just a word of advice: use a sober style, also as concerns the theory of relativity;
there is already too much quite repulsive sinning in this regard.
In great respect,
Deleted fragment in draft: “That you, too, are not quite free of this is proved, incidentally, by the cir-
cum. that you [make use of] the silly doctor’s title . . .”
6. To Paul Ehrenfest
[Berlin,] 4 May 1920
Dear, dear Ehrenfest,
I am still sitting here, while my ether sermon is surely already in your
possession.[1]
Every day, though, the Dutch Pythia at the consulate shakes her little
head and says with sweet regret, “Still
nothing.”[2]
She can’t be blamed, of course,
for the sluggish red tape. It’s silly that I promised to be in Halle on May 29th, where
a relativistic/philosophical synod is taking place, for which the holy limbs are
required.[3]
And for the beginning of June, I promised to preach in
Christiania.[4]
Healthwise I am feeling so well that this time you can really pile it on me. I would
like to do something to prove myself worthy of the Dutch professorship, but am
clearly conscious of the superfluousness of what I could lecture
on.[5]
Should I per-
haps come only in the second half of June instead of now? If so, then send a tele-
gram. I am going to bring one violin along. It’s
magnificent.[6]
Herglotz is not
coming; he declined the professorship
here.[7]
Soon the local chairs will be peddled
like old clothes at the secondhand dealer’s—times change [tempora
mutantur].[8]
Bohr was here and I am in love with him as much as you
are.[9]
He is like a high-
ly sensitive child and wanders about in this world in a kind of trance.
7. To Elsa Einstein
Leyden, Friday, 7 May 1920
Dear Else,
Arrived here well in splendid weather. Both Ehrenfests are in town; I came com-
pletely
unexpectedly.[1]
This morning I talked shop with Julius at the institute in
Utrecht.[2]
He’s a real “monomaniac,” but still a fine fellow. So the violin is stuck
in
Bentheim.[3]
Provided you haven’t done anything with this matter yet, you
should best do as follows:
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