704 DOCS.
663,
664
DECEMBER
1918
Weyl
sent
me an exceptionally
fine
and brilliant
paper
for
the
Academy,
which
cannot be
printed
there, however,
because
the
Academy
had
to
close
its
Berichte
to nonmembers
owing
to
a
far
too
great
congestion
as a
consequence
of
a
paper
shortage.
I
am
very firmly
convinced
that
Weyl’s gauge
invariance does
not
apply
to nature and
recently
imparted
to him
support
for
the
objections
I have.[8]
But
I know
that
someone
who has
stayed
infatuated
with
one
idea for
more
than half
a year can no longer
be saved from
its
spell,
at least
not
by
others.
The business with
my
divorce
is
an
amusement
to
all who know
about
it.
I
should have been
depositioned
about it
now
at
a
local
court
but
received
the
summons
too
late.
Meanwhile,
the
files
have been
sent
back to
Zurich![9]
It’s
touching
how much
trouble
Zürcher[10] is taking
in
the
matter.
Greetings
to
Vero
and
your gruff regency
(Anna),[11] as
well
as
Zangger
and
Dällenbach. Affectionate
regards, yours,
Albert.
664. To
Paul
Ehrenfest
[Berlin,] 6
December
1918
Dear
Ehrenfest,
Hearty
thanks
for
your invitation,[1]
which
I
nonetheless cannot
accept
at
the
moment.
In
the
next few
days
I
am going
to be
traveling
via Switzerland[2]
to
Paris in order
to
ask
the
Entente
to
save
the famished
population
here from
starvation.[3] After
so
much
falsehood,
it
is
difficult
to
help give
credence
to
the
bitter truth. But
I
think
they will
believe
me
if I
give
my
word of honor.
Besides,
I
must
say
that the
people
here have borne
the
collapse
with
composure
and
calmness,
once
they
had
been somewhat
enlightened
about the truth related
to
the
causes
of
the
war.
In
February I
shall be
giving
a
lecture
cycle
in Zurich for
students;
this
is
supposed
to
take
place
twice
annually
from
now on.
I
am
doing
this
to show
my
gratitude
for
a
call
I
did not
accept.[4]
I
could not decide to leave here
under the
prevailing
circumstances.
But
who knows
if
bare
necessity
will demand it in the
end?
I
was
very pleased
about
Burgers’s
dissertation and
the
news
of his
appoint-
ment.[5]
Your
researches
on
adiabats
are
much
appreciated
here
generally.[6]
I
hope
de
Sitter
recovers soon;[7]
my
criticism
of
one
of his
papers
was
only
partially
applicable,
which
I
regret
now especially.[8]
I
am
feeling
well
enough,
particularly
since
I
am
being
exceptionally
well
cared
for and
monitored
in matters
of
health. It
is hardly
probable
that
I
shall
ever
be