Einstein

During the week of July 11-16, various academic celebrations and gatherings will be held in Bern to mark the 50th anniversary of Albert Einstein's theory of relativity and to commemorate Einstein himself. This "Einstein Jubilee" will be opened on Monday afternoon with a conference attended by Government Councilor Dr. Moine and Prof. Dr. W. Pauli, ETH, giving speeches. Numerous scientific sessions then follow throughout the week - enriched on Tuesday evening by a chamber music concert on the Gurten - which are finally crowned on Saturday by an anniversary celebration in the university auditorium; the ceremonial speech will be given by Prof. Dr. W. Pauli as President of the Jubilee Conference on «Theory of Relativity and Science», and Prof. Dr. L. Kollros, ETH, will evoke memories of Einstein's time in Switzerland. 

I first heard this name when my philosophy professor, in his lecture on space and time, spoke with great indignation of "a man" who declared the "a priori categories of our knowledge" to be relative. 

“Who is this Einstein?” I asked an omniscient doctoral student after the course. - «A young lecturer who turns all physics upside down.» - A physicist? I wasn't interested in that at all. 

Einstein soon became a reality for me. When the First World War broke out, I happened to be in Berlin, where a support committee was being set up to help foreigners in need because of the war.[1] Many assistants were also needed for the numerous tasks, and so I was soon put to work there as a “hands-on man”. The name "Einstein" was very common here, because his older stepdaughter, who died young, kept coming to him with numerous requests. He supported and helped where and how and to whomever he could. Some of his requests gave me a lot of headaches, e.g. B. to procure forbidden pacifist literature for his fellow biologist Professor Nicolai, who was serving a sentence in the fortress. 

I personally met him at that time in a private socio-political club where many pacifist writers met every Monday evening. Scholars and politicians gathered. Rathenau, Eduard Bernstein, Hilferding, H. von Gerlach, Lehmann-Rußbüldt, P. Cassirer and others were among them. I was allowed to sit in a remote corner and listen. Einstein came there every now and then and was always very pessimistic about the future of people's social relations. It was interesting to see how the most important crowded around him, but how he always had an eye for the "little ones". Despite my very little knowledge of psychology at the time, it became clear to me that there was a person here who radiated a strange aura; he pulled those present towards him powerfully and aroused an enthusiasm that was sometimes objectively unjustified. This was a special trait alongside his genius abilities. This attraction was partly due to the fact that he sensed the mental distress of his fellow human beings and, even in cases where he was not asked for help, offered this help spontaneously, unasked and unsolicited, and earned a lot of gratitude. Einstein undoubtedly had a great "resonance" for foreign, even the smallest suffering and a strong impulsiveness to help. A poor colleague who was studying at the Charlottenburg Technical University told me that she was listening to Einstein's lectures. She was the only woman there and the listeners, all "dignified gentlemen", looked down at her, she felt completely abandoned and lost there. But this didn't last long. In one of the next lectures, during the break, Einstein (who read for two consecutive hours) approached the small, unsightly student and. drawing her into conversation, he paced her up and down the corridor. The girl beamed. “Now everyone looks at me very differently. How accommodating they have become!' 

Einstein intuitively felt the uncomfortable situation of the only listener and helped her to get over it with his gesture. Such cases were often told in Berlin at the time. Already at that time and later it was said: Einstein gives away everything he has. This also gave rise to a much-circulated bon mot: «Einstein created one theory of relativity, but its goodness is absolute." 

He was extremely approachable and had nothing of professorial bigotry. Einstein once said of Ms. Curie that she was the only person he knew whom fame had not changed. But this also applied to him. 

8 years later, when I came to Berlin from Switzerland for only a few days, I met Einstein at 11 pm in the 3rd class of the subway. Just as I got in, he had given way to an old woman and was holding on to a strap. To my great astonishment, he greeted me, calling me by name, and inquiring about my occupation. I was amazed at how well he remembered me. "You've got a detective's memory," I told him. He laughed, "ignoring the fellow passengers, his loud! childish laughter. The compliment visibly amused him. 

When National Socialism took over, the newspapers reported that Einstein was the first to draw the necessary conclusions. He resumed his charitable activities as in the first war; my husband also received a handwritten letter from him at the time in relation to an emigre for whom he was looking for a job in Switzerland. "Write to Einstein, he'll do anything," was the motto among the intellectual emigrants. [2]

In the second year of this war a medical conference was held in Switzerland, in which some German professors also took part. I was also present there as my husband's companion and during a pleasure trip on the lake one of the German guests was my neighbor. Fate was not kind to me because it didn't take me long to realize that this gentleman was one of those people who regarded Switzerland as a "little country" that you could "put in your waistcoat pocket" en passant. I could hardly suppress my indignation. Suddenly the nice neighbor asked me: 

«Do you know what people hear about Einstein?» - "He works very hard as always." - "Do you perhaps know whether it is also in the field of war technology?" He seemed so concerned that I replied, "Yes, yes, he works exclusively in warfare." - «In Germany people believe that if Einstein gets involved in the war, it will be lost for us.» "People are of the same opinion here," I confirmed. 

The professor got very upset: "We did a foolish thing in letting him go! They should have made an exception for him, made him a special offer." 

I was shocked by this complete. Lack of knowledge of human nature. - Einstein and - compromises! Einstein making a pact with Nazis! 

In 1947 I received a questionnaire from the UN Social Council asking whether it was desirable to set up international research institutes. After some time, the UN sent a volume, not intended for the book trade, in hectographed form, containing the replies received. Einstein was among the authors. - He made many reservations about such foundations: 

Major scientific advances would not be achieved thanks to the plans and programs. The igniting spark must come from the researcher's brain, but the researcher must be guaranteed the freedom of his work. Only certain areas of study would be favored by international action, and the most urgent and necessary task was that of founding a great center of sociological studies in which efforts would be made to explore methods and means that would bring better understanding between peoples could. It says there verbatim: 

«II conviendrait par exemple de mettre au point une methode permettant d'enseigner l'histoire sans creer l'obsession du passe, comme c'est si souvent le cas; on arriverait peut-etre ainsi a faire -echec a la force du nationalisme." 

These words are entirely Einstein: They speak from a man who was just as interested in progress in science as in progress in morality. namely, the most urgent and necessary task was that of founding a great center of sociological studies, in which efforts would be made to explore methods and means that could bring about a better understanding between peoples.

May 31, 1933

Prof. Albert Einstein Brussels

Dear Mister Professor,

If I'm not replying to your esteemed letter of April 22nd[3] until today, it's because I wanted to see first what could be done for Miss Juliusberger[4].

A paid position is not possible under the current settlement regulations, only an unpaid position with a vacant post.

I myself do not have such a position to offer. Inquiries I made of various ladies who came into question; led to the following: Miss Juliusberger should contact Mr Fritz Nordmann, Zurich, citing Miss Selma Maier in Zurich, who can help her find a suitable position.

I very much regret not being able to do more, but you will be well aware that the situation in Switzerland is also difficult.

With excellent appreciation