558 DOCS.
538,
539 MAY 1918
the latest
advances in
physics,
I
was
able to
attend the
meetings
of
the
Physical
Society only 2 times, unfortunately.
With the best
of
intentions, coming
more
often
is
not
going
to be
possible
for
me
in
the future
either,
no more so
taking
part
in the
Chairman’s tasks.
Under these circumstances
I
could
just
be
Chairman
on a
purely
formal
basis,
and in
my
view
this
would be neither in the
interest
of
the
Society
nor
in
my
own
interest:
it
goes against my
innermost
feelings
to take
on
an
office
without
being
able
to
assume
its
duties
along
with
it;
and
the
painful
feeling
of
inadequacy
and
dissatisfaction
I
have
developed
through
years
of
neglecting my responsibilities
toward
my science, my
institute,
and
my
family,
would
only
be
aggravated by
this.
In
thanking
you cordially
once
again,
I
therefore
request being
relieved from
acceptance
of
this
nomination.
Our
colleague
Born also
spoke
now
of
the
paper
allotment
for
the Berichte
turning
out to be
very
small.[4] I
would
naturally
be
very
pleased
to
back,
as
far
as
is
in
my power,
the
application
for
an
increase in
the
appropriation.
With best
regards,
I
remain
ever
yours truly,
M.
Wien.
539.
From
Charlotte
Weigert[1]
Copenhagen,
43
Nansensgade
II, 15
May
1918
Esteemed,
dear
Professor,
You did
not
consider
me
ungrateful,
I
hope,
for
not letting
you
hear from
me
for
so long!
Only “planetary”
life
is to
blame
for
my having
lacked initiative for
the
deed! How
often have
I
spoken
in
raptures
about
you
to
persons
interested
in science
and
also
to
our
mind-mates in world
organization!
I
hope
that
your
condition
is
such
that
you
are
able to
work;
that
is
equivalent,
of
course,
to
an
ascending
motion
of
your
life line! How
much
I
wish to hear
a
bit about
your
splendid
ideas
again!
If
I
think
back
on
the
evil
war
years,
the
conversations
with
you
were one
of
the
few
positive things
of
value
to
me,
which
I
still remember
with
gratitude!-Oh, dear
Professor,
where is
the fulfillment of
our
hopes
and
plans,
which
on our
recent
evening
walks
we
believed
to
be
so
near
at
hand?
The
world is
more
sinister
than
ever,
and it
is
a
mercy
for those who have
the
ability
and
energy
to retreat into science and
art!-
Thus
I
am
also
especially
thankful
not
only
that
I
have
an
intimate
audience here
on
foreign
soil,[2]
but
also
that
there
were
particularly
enthusiastic
persons among
the
refined
artists
and writers.
It
was
especially
nice
that
so
many
Danes
participated since,
as
such,
there
is