Professor Einstein has presented to Yale University the original manuscript of his latest work, “The Present State of the General Theory of Relativity”, as an expression of his appreciation for the way America honoured him during his stay there last year while he was doing research work at the Mount Wilson Observatory at Pasadena, in California.
WAS TREATED IN AMERICA LIKE A KING: “A VISITING MONARCH A MONARCH OF THE MIND”
Professor Einstein was treated in America like a king, Professor Nicholas Murray Butler, the President of Columbia University and President and Director of the Board of Trustees of the Carnegie Endowment, actually describing him as “a visiting monarch, a monarch of the mind”, when he introduced him in his capacity as head of the New York City Reception Committee to the Mayor of New York, Mr. James Walker, when Professor Einstein’s boat arrived in New York harbour. The crowds were bigger than even those which acclaimed Colonel Lindbergh at the height of his popularity, after his solo flight across the Atlantic, and it was stated that every hour of his stay in New York was crowded with celebrations on a scale unapproached by any other celebrity ever visiting New York.
America has another Einstein manuscript, that of his “New Unitary Field Theory”, which was acquired in 1929 by the Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut. The Wesleyan University found itself honoured to be entrusted with this extraordinary document, Dr. McConaughy, the President of the University, said in announcing the acquisition at the time. I use the word entrusted advisedly, he continued, because Wesleyan University will always consider that as custodian of this precious manuscript it has a trusteeship of it in the interests of the whole world of scientific thought. It is probable, he added, that photo-stat copies will be made available by Wesleyan Universty for every University and college which desires to possess such a copy. The manuscript itself will be most zealously safeguarded.
There are seven hand-written pages in the manuscript, describing the new Field Theory, and at the end of page 7 Professor Einstein has placed his signature as indicating that the work ends there, another page being devoted to expressions of thanks to his co-workers.
The negotiations for the acquisition of the manuscript were conducted by cable with Mrs. Einstein, it was explained, and Mrs. Einstein said that her husband had no objection to the sale of the manuscript, his only condition being that it should realise sufficient funds to enable him and his wife to carry on their welfare work among University students. The price paid was not revealed, but Dr. Mc-Conaughy said that it bore no relation to the actual pricelessness of the manuscript.
Another important Einstein manuscript, that of his epoch-making work, “The General and Specific Relativity Theory” is in the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, to which Professor Einstein presented it in April 1925, during the festivities in connection with Lord Balfour’s formal opening of the University.
There is a Hebrew translation of this work, which appeared in Palestine in 1928, the translation being made with Professor Einstein’s authorisation by Dr. Jauob Greenberg, the author of the chapter on Einstein in the “Hebrew Encyclopaedia”, and of a number of original mathematical works which have won Professor Einstein’s commendation.
Professor Einstoin contributed a foreword to the Hebrew edition, in which he wrote: The appearance of my book in the language of our fathers fills me with particular joy. It is a sign of the transformation which has taken place in our language, so that its use is no longer confined to explaining the affairs of our people to our people, but it is now able to embrace everything that is of interest to human beings. It constitutes an important factor in cur striving towards cultural independence.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
