DOCS. 337-339
MAY
1917 329
of
your
ideas
on a
poorly
shielded brain.
A
steel
helmet
[Stahlhelm]
is
necessary,
or
at least
a sun
hat,
in order to hold
the
balance.
My regards
in amicable
admiration,
yours,
Rathenau.
338. To
Paul Mamroth
[Berlin,]
11 May
1917
Esteemed Dir.
Mamroth,[1]
Thank
you very
much for
the
two
essays you
sent
me,
both
of which
I have
read
with the
greatest
interest. The funeral oration
is
a
masterpiece
that
stands
alone.[2]
The
Judaism-Christianity
issue must be answered
variously, depending
on
the
political
view held
by
the
(free-thinking)
Jew
examining
the
question.
Rathenau himself wrote
unofficially on
the
issue
again
just
a
few weeks
ago
in
eminently
witty
and
fine
style. Perhaps
he
will
give
you
a
duplicate
copy
of his
reflections,
which
are
in
the
form
of
a
letter.[3]
If
I
were
disposed
toward
the
opposition
and
I
saw
in
the
state church
an
objectionable
means
of
encouraging
people
to maintain
a
mentality convenient for
the
ruling caste,
then
naturally I
would not
support
this
established church.
But
if I loved
the
established church
as a
preserving
element of
the
state which
was
according
to
my
taste
(not mine),
then
I, as a
free
thinker,
might
safely join
it
....
Thanking
you exceedingly
once
again
for
the
kind
communication,
I
am yours
truly,
sig.
A.
Einstein.
339. To
Michele Besso
[Berlin,]
13
May
1917
Dear
Michele,
Thanks
from
the bottom
of
my
heart
for
handling
the
A.
affair,
also to
the
Phys. Soc.[1]
The
general
view is
that there
is
no
serious
threat
to
the
man.
Now I
am
firmly
resolved to
place
Albert with
Maja.[2]
Talk
to
Zangger
about
it
sometime;
I
am
writing you
first
so
that
Albert
is
not worried
prematurely.
It
is
very charming
that
Vero
is
tutoring
in
Glarisegg.[3]
What
an
endearing
little
fellow
he
is;
I
am
thrilled with him.
I’m
not
complaining
about
Mach’s
little