126
DOCS. 163-165 MAY-JUNE
1909
A(p
-
A.2AAtp =
0,
r
1
-
^
^
which contains
e
and
X as
coefficients,
and which leads
to
the
solution
p
=
e
r
with
a
definite value
of
e.
It would be
very
nice if this
were
to
succeed-but
so
far
my
efforts have
been fruitless.-
Perhaps
you
will
see
at
a glance
that these
hopes
and efforts
are
futile.
If
so,
then
you
will do
me a
great
favor if
you
tell
me
so,
because it
is
ghastly
to toil
over
completely
hopeless
projects.
With
most respectful regards
from
your
devoted
A.
Einstein
Aegertenstr.
53,
Bern
164.
From Lucien Chavan
[Bern]
28
May
1909
My
dear Teacher
& Friend,
I
need
some
air
. . .
will be
away
until
Monday.[1]
Count
on
you
upon
my
return.
Thousand
greetings
to
all of
you.
Yours,
L.
Chavan
165.
From
Philipp
Lenard
Heidelberg,
Neue Schlossstrasse
7a,
5
June
1909
Highly
esteemed
Colleague:
Thank
you
for
the
kind words in
response
to
my
last
mailing.
Nothing
can
make
me
happier
than
a
thinker of
great depth
and
scope deriving
some
pleasure
from
my
work.
On this occasion I
must
also tell
you
that
your
kind
letter of
16
Nov.
1905[1]
has
been
on
my
desk
ever
since then, first in Kiel and
now
here,
and
that
I
think
more
and
more
about the differences
in
our
conceptions
of
photoelectric
velocities
and
things
related
to
it.[2]
For
I
believe
that,
in
a
certain
sense,
both of
us
are
right;
but
I will be satisfied
only
when
I
see
how
the
wide-ranging,
wonderful
relationships
you
have discovered fit with
all the rest
into what
I
conceive
as
a
whole.
These
days
the
phosphors
&
their
processes
continually
make
me
think about
things
of
this
sort.[3]
I'll let
you
know
when
I
am
done
with
it-I
could
not respond
to
your
kind words
any
sooner
than that.
So,
as
you see,
it
was
not
out
of
neglect
that
I
never
wrote to
you.
With
profound respect,
yours
faithfully,
P.
Lenard