D O C U M E N T 1 8 7 J U L Y 1 9 2 1 1 2 9
1. Should we bring along any edibles, and which?
2. Can things be sent out to the laundry there? (Then we’d just have to take less
along.)
Please reply to all this as soon as possible and I hope you arrange for good
weather. I’m terribly excited about the
sailboat.[4]
Lots of love from
Adn.
187. From Ludwik Silberstein
[Chicago,] 18 July 1921
Dear Professor,
A few days ago I wrote you about the newspaper correspondence and enclosed
a newspaper clipping; the affair was not worth the trouble, because we knew very
well that this correspondence (evaluation of America) cannot have stemmed from
you.[1]
In my letter I commented that, in connection with my lectures at this university,
I carried out a small application of your spec. theory of rel. and, as it seems, spied
a correct consequence that most starkly contradicts experience. Instead of writing
you about this, I simply enclose here a verbatim copy of my note that I had sent out
to the editors of the Phil[osophical] Mag[azine] a few days
ago.[2]
Please read this note and kind[ly] tell me whether you are able to refute my rea-
soning. I truly taxed my brain continually (for 10 days) to detect an error in my rea-
soning but was not able to find anything wrong with it. If I am not mistaken, the
data of the skies absolutely contradict your special theory because it is impossible
to speak of an oscillation of the components of binary stars at amplitudes of hun-
dreds of (seconds). Astronomers have seen nothing of the
sort.[3]
If, however, I have erred (logically) and you frankly inform me about the error,
I shall in any event have learned much and thank you for it in advance.
—As concerns the terrestrial optical
experiment,[4]
I happily
can inform you that Michelson visited me on 24 June, immediately
after returning from Paris, and most enthusiastically told me he
would start this experiment “at
once.”[5]
In fact, his
mechanic[6]
has already prepared everything for him and sent it to Pasadena
(California, near Mount Wilson), where Michelson is now
staying.[7]
He will try to conduct the experiment there outside, and if that does not