DOCUMENT 337 JANUARY 1912 389 ence here of such men as Professors Larmor, Planck, Lorentz, and others on the basis of such a lectureship.[2] The arrangement has usually been that the visiting professor deliver in the course of four to six weeks eight to sixteen lectures in that field of theoretical physics in which his main interest lies. When possible the lectures have been published, and you have doubtless seen the volume of Professor Lorentz on the Electron Theory[3] and that of Professor Planck entitled, "Acht Varlesun- gen uber theoretische Physik."[4] The compensation that has in the past been attached to thi[s] lectureship is $1200 and, while this is certainly no recompe[nse for] the labor involved, it is somewhat more than sufficient to defray the expenses of the eight or ten weeks visit to America. As to the subject or subjects on which you might lecture we would wish to be guided by your own desires, though of course, we would want to hear something from you on the Relativity Principle, and perhaps also on the the- ory of the "Energiequanten". If you would be inclined to consider favorably such a proposition as the one outlined above, the professors of physics here would exert themselves to secure the funds so that Dr. Butler, the President of the University,[5] may make you a definite proposal. I can assure you that your coming would be welcomed, not only by the men at Columbia, but by many from neighboring institutions who have been interested in watching, even if not contributing to, the development of the Relativity Theory. Personally I have been very much interested in the Relativity Theory since my attention was first directed to it by Professor Lorentz, and I should be glad to see greater appreciation of it in America, where I confess our physicists have been rather slow to take it up. We should be very glad indeed to receive a reply from you that you would give consideration to a proposition of such a lectureship as outlined, although we would understand for the present that you would not in any way obligate yourself to accept any proposition that we might make. I am, with best wishes, Yours very truly, G[eorge] B[raxton] Pegram TLSX. [43 468]. The text in square brackets was added by Helen Dukas to the cropped copy in the Einstein Archives. [1]Pegram (1876-1958) was Assistant Professor of Physics at Columbia University.
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