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141. To Norwegian Students’ Association
Berlin, 9 September 1920
Norwegian Students’ Association,
Christiania,[1]
In grateful reminiscence of the magnificent summer days I was allowed to spend
as a guest of the Norwegian students in Christiania, I send you herewith a cordial
greeting from my study in
Berlin.[2]
In you I became acquainted with a student
body that holds high the ideal of culture common to us all, free from constricting
nationalist
tendencies.[3]
It is a great pleasure for me, even though I am already
quite high up there in my number of semesters, to have been welcomed among your
cheerful circle, in which I felt so completely at home. Besides the impersonal mat-
ters of fact that unite the discerning people of all countries, for the recovery of in-
ternational relations there is a need for warm, feeling free people of liberal views
and good
will.[4]
You are such, and it is to be hoped that as students of a neutral
country you will engender valuable contributions toward curing the European
psyche.
With best wishes for a thriving Norwegian student body and research, yours.
142. From Marcel Grossmann
Zurich, 9 September 1920
Dear Albert,
In the same post I am sending you a paper by Mr. Charles Willigens from the
Archives des sciences physiques et
naturelles.[1]
As you see, a cult is forming
around Guillaume that thinks it must correct essential points of your concepts. Al-
though this matter is unlikely to be of interest to you, I think it would be in the in-
terest of relativity theory if you had a brief joust with Guillaume someday, such as
in a short article for the Archives, for which I would gladly provide the translation,
or simply in a letter to me, the scientific gist of which I could pass on, which would
please our sympathetic colleague Guye very
much.[2]
There is a danger that from the unchallenged appearances by Guillaume and his
disciples—also in the dailies—dissemination of the fundamental ideas of the th. of
rel. would suffer harm in the French-speaking region, which is always ready to
claim Fren[ch] superiority on this issue as well. All the more so since the depraved
campaign against you in Germany is also echoed
here.[3]
Thus I think I may ask
you to let me know in brief outline for what reasons you reject Guillaume’s ideas!