DOC.
442
JANUARY
1918 449
442. To Hans Albert Einstein
[Berlin,]
25 January 1918
My
dear
Albert,
Your
letter
and
your
postcard
delighted
me.
I
see
that
not
only
are
you my
own
son,
but
also
that
really
affectionate relations
are
developing
between
us.
Your
concern
about
my
illness
was
especially
gratifying
to
me. So,
let
it
be said
with
pleasure:
I
am
content with
you
and
am
happy
when
I
think
of
you.
I
feel
that
the
maturer and
more
independent you become,
the better
friends
we
become.
I
approve entirely
of
your going
to
Realgymnasium.
For
a
person
with
your
kind
of aptitude,
it
is
not
good
when
too
many languages
are
crammed into
you.[1]
You
seem
to feel
this
yourself
as
well.
It
has been
just
a
month
now
that
I
have been
lying
in
bed;[2]
and
I probably
will
have to
stay lying
down
for
sometime
longer.
My
ailment
involves
a
stubborn
ulcer at
my
stomach
exit,
which
is
healing only very reluctantly.
There
is
no
doubt
that
I
have
had this
illness
longer
than
you
have been in this
world.[3]
The
pain
I
always
used
to
have
was
caused
by
the
same source.
I
am
probably
never
going
to become
truly
healthy again
but
am
going
to
have to
eat
a
kind of
infant
food
for
the
rest of
my
life
and avoid
moving
about much.
I
am
not
worried about
that
but
am
happy
and content.
I
can
attend
to
my
work
very
well
in
bed, you
know,
and
my
cousin does
a
splendid
job
in
seeing
that
I
have
enough
food
to
“peck”
at
[Vogelfutter][4]
so
that
I
am
well cared
for in all
respects.
I don’t
yet
know how to
arrange
it
so
that
we can
meet
this
summer.
But if
there
is
a
will
there
is
a way,
and
we’ll want it,
won’t
we? Give
Tete
my
affection-
ate
regards.
Is
he back
at
home with
you
already?[5]
I
am
firmly
convinced
that
it’s
wrong
to
pamper
him
up
there
for
so
long.
The
longer
he has been
up
there,
the
surer
it
is
that
he
will
not be able
to
tolerate
the Zurich climate
anymore
when
he
comes
down
again.
Added
to
this
is
the
misfortune
that
an enormous
amount
of
money
is
being
spent
so
that
all
my savings
are
being
used
up.[6]
One
fine
day
I
am
going
to
die and
nothing will
be left for
you
all.
My
friends in
Zurich,
who
are
irresponsible
in
this
regard,
are
to
blame
for
this
calamity.[7]
And
ultimately
it
is
you boys
who
will
be affected
if
you
have not been
provided
for
adequately.
But
my hope
lies
in
that
you
are
gradually
getting
older and
I
am
going
to be
able to
arrange everything
with
you
without
our
needing
the
help
of
strangers.
Greetings
and kisses from
your
Papa.
Kind
regards
to
Mama and Aunt. Kisses
to Tete!
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