DOCS.
459,
460
FEBRUARY
1918
467
1)
Compensation
for
your position
sufficient for
Laue,[7]
2)
your
husband’s inclination
to
exchange
positions.
Let
us assume
(1)
were
fulfilled,
then the
question
arises whether
you
ought
to
consent;
this
obviously
is
the
question you
are agonizing over
today
already.
My
opinion is:
Definitely
accept.
I probably
do not need to
assure you
both
how
fond
I
am
of
you
and how
happy
I
am
to have
you as
friends and
mind-mates
in
this-desert.
But
such
an
ideal
position
in which
one
is
entirely
independent
should not be declined.
The
professional scope
there[8] is
larger
and freer
than
here, offering
a
better
opportunity
for
your
husband to
develop
his talents.
But the
main
point is:
living
next
to
Planck
is
a joy.
When Planck cedes his
post
one day,
however, you
are
then
not
certain,
even
if
you stay here,
whether
your
husband
will
take
his
place.
If
it
was someone
else, though,
it
could
possibly
become
less
pleasant.
All
cases
must be looked at face-on. You should
not
subject yourselves unnecessarily
to
that
one.
Take
good
care
of
yourselves,
and take
me as a
warning example.
For
me,
the
jump
upwards
is
no
longer
attainable.
Warm
regards
to
you, your children,
and
your
master,[9]
who
will
be
returning
soon,
I
hope, yours,
Einstein.
460. To Gustav
Mie
[Berlin,]
8
February 1918
Dear
Colleague,
I
hasten
to
respond
to
your long letter,[1]
from which I
see
that
our
views
on
the fundamentals
still
diverge very
much.[2]
First
to
the
simplest
issue.
The
relation[3]
p=2/kR2
certainly ought
to
express
a
relation between
density
and radius
of
curvature
that
is independent
of
any
coordinate
choice.
This
is
not refuted
by
what
you
say.
In
the
relation,