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to the insecurity about the future and thinks as little of it as of one’s own death; for
it all comes along of its own accord without our doing anything.
From your letter I see that you are still practicing your difficult profession. May-
be you are right. For when hard at work, heavy experiences—indeed, life itself al-
most—fade away. Thus I too would be unable to give up grappling with those great
problems, even if I were convinced of the complete futility of these efforts.
When I come to Switzerland again, I definitely would like to look you up. I don’t
know yet when that will be, though, because my
boys,[1]
the older one of whom is
already a competent student, visit me from time to time in Germany.
Sending you cordial greetings and good wishes for 1924, your old
Papa Einstein.
Maja’s address is: Sesto near Florence,
Quinta[2]
Colonnata.
192. From Marie Curie-Skłodowska
Paris, 6 January 1924
Dear Mr. Einstein,
I was greatly pleased to receive your
letter[1]
and to feel that the bonds of friend-
ship that have existed between us for so many years are still strong. Believe me,
they are very precious to me.
Prof. Lorentz certainly told you that if we did not send you an invitation for the
anniversary on December 26th it was because we knew that you could not accept
it.[2]
You are surrounded, in this country, by esteem and admiration, and you may
notice that your words against the League of Nations were reproduced by the press
without any commentary directed against you
personally.[3]
Those words did pain me because they affect those who certainly do have good
will rather than those who do not. The Committee you
left[4]
understands the ne-
cessity for international intellectual cooperation and has already made some effort
in this direction. It was surely difficult for you to take part in it as long as Germany
is not a part of the L. of N., and it seems to me that it would have been sufficient to
give this reason in resigning. For, if the L. of N. were completely constituted, the
faults it may have would be less serious.
I very willingly admit that the L. of N. is not perfect. It never had any chance of
being so, since humans are imperfect. But it can improve itself to the degree that
poor human beings will recognize the necessity. This is the first attempt at interna-
tional harmony, without which civilization is at risk of disappearing.
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