3 1 0 D O C U M E N T S 2 0 1 , 2 0 2 N O V E M B E R 1 9 2 0
201. To Vilhelm Bjerknes
Berlin, 12 November 1920
Dear Colleague,
Cordial thanks for the transmittal summarizing your father’s life’s
work[1]
and
for your friendly
letter.[2]
I must admit that I am no longer an adherent of
mechanical analogies to explain action-at-a-distance, for the reason that the electro-
magnetic field has turned out to be more fundamental than ponderable
mass.[3]
I
think
that[4]
the formal analogies are primarily geometrically determined, such as,
e.g., the analogy between Newton’s law and the photometric distance law for a
point-shaped light source. Also, the fact that energy can be described mostly as a
homogeneous quadratic function certainly plays an essential role in
some[5]
analogies.
As far as the possible call to Christiania is concerned, it is more natural if you as
a Norwegian received the appointment. That is what the colleagues in Christiania
are also thinking, and are right. I personally believe I can and should stick it out in
Berlin, even if it isn’t always very easy. In the end, a piece of one’s own life’s pur-
pose is left behind in each place that one leaves after a longer stay. Let’s hope,
though,[6]
that independently of this we shall soon have occasion to converse with
each other about the physical problems of mutual interest to
us.[7]
With best regards, yours,
A. Einstein.
202. From Jolán Kelen-Fried
Vienna XVII, 33 Jörger St. III. 20. c/o Göde, 12 November 1920
Esteemed Master,
Your warm words of Nov. 8th in regard to my
husband[1]
sincerely moved me
and I am infinitely grateful to you for it. You spent your valuable time in the interest
of a man who deserves this offering of yours.
I have published your warm letter, in hope of your retroactive consent, with a lit-
tle alteration as though it had not come to me but to a professor here at the local
university.[2]
This was necessary so that the matter looks more informal and not
staged by me.
I have another favor to ask of you, since for my husband’s sake I have to be pre-
sumptuous. It would be very useful and might be of infinitely much help if you
would address an appeal directly to the Hungarian
government[3]—in
part[icular],
to the Prime Minister, Count Teleky himself—which was signed either by you
alone or along with a few others, even if they are less prominent yet impressive per-