4 6 V O L U M E 8 , D O C U M E N T 3 0 8 a
difficult—comes up with the food. Without her I could not manage
here.[4]
Don’t
worry yourself anymore for my sake, for the time being; if it really gets urgent, i.e.,
if nothing more can be scraped together for me, I’ll ask you again, but not before.
I know how precious your hours are. And ultimately, there remains the option of
fleeing to Switzerland. I hope the conditions there won’t become as severe as they
are
here![5]
Nobody is upsetting me here; on the contrary, everyone is spoiling me,
if not worshiping me, so at most I run the risk of losing my self-criticism and mod-
esty.– Now to the main thing. My wife and Tete are
tuberculars.[6]
I’m afraid that
my Albert could also get infected and this fear leaves me no peace. Children are
never careful. I would like to have Albert live with me and teach him myself.[7]
Imagine what valuable guidance I could give the boy. I would let tutors teach him
foreign languages. I think that this would be splendid for the boy. The household
in Zurich would then perhaps best be dissolved and my wife and Tete could be
accommodated according to medical criteria. My poor youngest, whom I loved so
inexpressibly much will now probably soon be taken completely away from me.
Better dead than forever-suffering! Just punishment for my
irresponsibility![8]
Wouldn’t you also find it right if I took in my Albert? He wouldn’t go into any
school here, of course, so Berlin could do him no harm. He would constantly be
under my supervision. I’ll read stories with him, do mathematics, physics and
chemistry with him and many other things that I would first have to teach myself
for the purpose. 3 hours every day. Add to that a walk. What do you think of this?
About the treatment of my poor little one, please act on your own judgment in
agreement with
Bernstein.[9]
400 francs have gone out to you for this purpose.
Besso wrote me himself; I’ll answer him
soon.[10]
In personal, human affairs I
do not like to turn to him; because human matters make him so terribly miserable.
Cordial regards, yours,
Einstein.
When should I come to Switzerland? Should I take the oil when it arrives, despite
what I wrote above? Should I inform Boas about
it?[11]
I often cannot read parts of
your letters despite the great effort I devote to reading; don’t be cross with me but
I absolutely must tell you this, because bad consequences could arise from it.
Yesterday I spoke at length with a woman who is certainly suffering from gall-
stones. In the process I was convinced after all that Boas is entirely right with his
diagnosis. My pain is genuine gallstone colic. Since the cure, the thing has not re-
curred (4 weeks). I am curious whether you consider my plans with Albert sensible;
I am filled with the firm conviction that I would do it
well.[12]
Maybe my wife will
also agree with the plan; she really must realize that I mean well with them despite
the personal rupture with
her.[13]
Write me without restraint what you think about
the future of my little boy; your prognosis cannot possibly sound worse than what
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