2 9 0 D O C . 3 4 7 M A R C H 1 9 2 0 curators, the faculty in toto, and perhaps separate individs. in particular (Lorentz, Onnes!)[7] [It is not advisable that you speak to anyone else—but should you want to say something to De Sitter, then direct a kind word also to Kuenen.– Lorentz- Onnes, on the other hand, count as incommensurable with the rest of us. [Forgive me for all these comments, you remain free!]] (the latter are a few brief but poign- ant words!!!) and end with a few case-specific words to the “Ladies and Gentlemen among the Students.”– After that, one closes with the traditional words: “Ik heb gezegd” (= Dixi)[8] ch ch 4. You’ll be subordinate to other curators than we (we to the “Curators of the uni- versity”). You, on the other hand, to the “Curators from the . . .?” I’ll write you about that soon.[9] 5. I’ll also send you the exact title page.[10] Other things (tradition of the congratulatory reception, etc.) can wait until you are here. Epstein affair: Perhaps will turn out all right in Zurich after all.[11] But just in case, Lorentz and I have asked him to be “our assistant” from 1 Sept. 1920–1 Sept. 1921 (2000 guilders and almost complete freedom to do scientif. work).[12] —At the present time I haven’t received Epstein’s response yet but this way the situation is forestalled that he be pressured into making a decision headlong—he can then work in peace for 1–2 years and wait it out. Then Russia will be back to normal again.[13] Paper by Grebe-Bachem. We aren’t familiar with Zeitschrift für Physik here yet.[14] Please, please arrange that Grebe send a separatum each to Julius, to Lorentz, Onnes,[15] and me.– Julius passes very pessimistic judgment on your red- shift in the sun. He worked specifically on it just recently. He is going to visit you himself on the occasion of a trip to Dresden.[16] If I have understood correctly what he told me very briefly, then he did the following: he compared the redshift: solar limb up to solar center and could derive the changes completely from his theory of dispersion (how in detail, I don’t know) and then (if I got it right) there is no resid- ual amount left over that could be ascribed to your redshift.[17] Together with the Czech (Trkal) who is visiting me, I now thought through the theory of chem. constants clearly again.[18] In the process it was possible 1. To dispell every last mystery to full clarity, without pulling out Nernst’s theorem or considerations about vapor pressure—we directly calculated the disso- 1- N! -----
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