2 4 2 D O C U M E N T S 1 1 1 , 1 1 2 A U G U S T 1 9 2 0
111. From Israel Malkin
Charlottenburg, 7 Wieland St., 27 August 1920
Highly esteemed Professor,
If I, as one of your innumerable auditors, dare to write you personally, this might
perhaps be excused by the extraordinary occasion provided by the extremely de-
plorable spectacle made by two men at the Philharmonic last
Tuesday.[1]
As every-
one else who has had the honor and the favor of becoming acquainted with you,
highly esteemed Professor, as a teacher and a person, something every one of your
pupils will remember with most pride from their period of study, the undersigned
also felt scandalized, in the true sense of the word, by the shameless and inane man-
ner by which attacks were launched against your character, quite apart from the
spuriousness of the objections raised by the second
speaker.[2]
It scarcely has to be
added that these feelings are shared by all of my colleagues from the University
Course for
Foreigners.[3]
At this opportunity I may perhaps mention that those of us who still have a glim-
mer of hope of matriculating, despite the unfavorable admissions situation at the
university, were eagerly looking forward to the honor and pleasure of becoming
your pupils and of being able to attend a systematic lecture of yours; having to re-
linquish this hope would be deeply painful to us, and that is why we would not like
to believe that today’s newspaper report about your intention to leave Berlin can be
based on
truth.[4]
Although these lines were caused by unfortunate events, I still warmly welcome
the opportunity to express to you, highly esteemed Professor, my profound and sin-
cere respect and loyalty.
Israel Malkin, Eng.
112. From Ernst Cassirer
Hamburg, 26 Blumen Street, 28 August 1920
Esteemed Colleague,
Only now, from your essay in the Berliner Tageblatt, have I found out about the
attacks to which you and your theory have been subjected
recently[1]
and would not
like to neglect to assure you in a few words, at least, of my most sincere and heart-
felt
compassion.[2]
In matters of relativity theory I cannot claim to pass qualified