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— • —
Pardon the meddling. Very hearty greetings from the Kernhemers and from
Maarn,[11]
yours,
P. Ehrenfest.
Greetings to wife, Ilse, and Margot.
Van Aardenne wants me to say explicitly that he finds this letter very superfluous
and that he does not think such patronizing of you necessary!
192. From Edgar Meyer
Zurich 1, 69 Rämi St., 7 November 1920
Dear Mr. Einstein,
As you know, the professorship for theoretical physics over here is still not
filled. You yourself declined last year and some time ago were so kind as to give us
your advice about the
appointment.[1]
Well, today I again approach you with a re-
quest regarding this matter, and a big request at that. I don’t want any more advice,
rather I would like, or better put, we would like to try once more to get you to come
yourself. Dear Mr. Einstein, I still know everything that you said to me at the time,
but hasn’t the situation, through the mental derangement of the times, possibly tak-
en on a form that you then described as a condition for your coming to Zurich? I
heard that you made a statement about wanting to leave
Berlin[2]
—and so you must
forgive me if I come again with my old request. And what can we offer you here?
There is no Planck or Warburg, of course; but Debye is here and, first and foremost,
our
Weyl![3]
And then one more thing that became so completely clear and valuable
to me after my [Bad] Nauheim stay: here we have a democracy that is understood
by every
one![4]
I do not need to tell you on behalf of Weyl, Debye, myself, or even
the rest of our colleagues how delighted we all would be if you wanted to fulfill our
deepest wish. And you can also be assured that the material side and everything
else that you should desire will be entirely as you like. I am really at a loss for words
to express the happy sensation that I feel at the thought of your being here.—Dear
Mr. Einstein, I dare to approach you with my request only because you did autho-
rize me to do so at the time. You said then: “If circumstances become such that . . .”
And circumstances in Berlin really have become less attractive!
Dear Mr. Einstein, do fare very well, give my best to your dear wife, and offer
some hope to your optimistic and grateful
Edgar Meyer