would not study in their native countries for political reasons, and hence Zurich became a place where future revolutions were nurtured. One of these with whom Einstein became acquainted was Friedrich Adler, from Austria. He was a thin, pale, blond young man who like other students from the east united within himself an intense devotion to his studies and a fanatical faith in the revolutionary development of society. He was the son of Viktor Adler, a leading Social Democrat politician of Vienna, who tried to keep his son out of politics by sending him to study physics at Zurich.
Another of Einstein’s acquaintances was Mileva Maritsch, a young woman from Hungary. Her mother tongue, however, was Serbian and she professed the Greek Orthodox religion. She belonged to that group of her people who lived in considerable numbers in southeastern Hungary and always carried on a violentstruggle against the Magyar domination. Like many of the women students from eastern Europe, she paid attention only to her work and had few opportunities to attract the attention of men. She and Einstein found a common interest in their passion for the study of the great physicists, and they spent a great deal of time together. For Einstein it had always been pleasant to think in society, or, better perhaps, to become aware of his thoughts by putting them into words. Even though Mileva Maritsch was extremely taciturn and rather unresponsive, Einstein in his zeal for his studies hardly noticed this.
This student period at Zurich, which was so important for Einstein’s mental development, was not such an easy time for him with regard to practical living. His father’s financial situation was so difficult that he could not contribute anything to his son’s support. Einstein received one hundred Swiss francs monthly from a wealthy relative, but he had to put aside twenty of these every month to accumulate the fee necessary for the acquisition of Swiss citizenship, which he hoped to obtain soon after graduation. He did not experience any real material hardships, but on the other hand he could not afford any luxuries.
7.
Official of a Patent Office
Einstein completed his studies just at the turn of the century and now faced the necessity of seeking a position. When a young man with extraordinary interest and ability in science has completed the regular course of study at a university or technical academy, it is important and generally desirable for him to obtain further training to become an independent investigator by acting as assistant to a professor at a university. In this way he learns the methods both of teaching and of making scientific investigations by working under an experienced person. Since this appeared to be the appropriate path for him, Einstein applied for such a position. It became evident, however, that the same professors who had praised his scientific interest and talent so highly had no intention whatever of taking him on as an assistant. Nor did he receive any direct explanation of this refusal.
With no possibility of a teaching position at the Polytechnic, the only alternative was to look for one in a secondary school. Here again, despite excellent letters of recommendation fromhis professors, he was unsuccessful. The only thing he obtained was a temporary position in a technical vocational school at Winterthur, and after a few months he was again unemployed.
It was now 1901. Einstein was twenty-one and had become a Swiss citizen. Through a newspaper he found that a gymnasium teacher in Schaffhausen, who maintained a boarding-house for students, was looking for a tutor for two boys. Einstein applied for the job and was hired. Thus he came to this small city on the Rhine whose famous waterfalls resounded throughout the vicinity and where numerous tourists stopped to see the natural phenomenon, which received three stars in the Baedeker.
Einstein was not dissatisfied with his work. He enjoyed molding the minds of young
Another of Einstein’s acquaintances was Mileva Maritsch, a young woman from Hungary. Her mother tongue, however, was Serbian and she professed the Greek Orthodox religion. She belonged to that group of her people who lived in considerable numbers in southeastern Hungary and always carried on a violentstruggle against the Magyar domination. Like many of the women students from eastern Europe, she paid attention only to her work and had few opportunities to attract the attention of men. She and Einstein found a common interest in their passion for the study of the great physicists, and they spent a great deal of time together. For Einstein it had always been pleasant to think in society, or, better perhaps, to become aware of his thoughts by putting them into words. Even though Mileva Maritsch was extremely taciturn and rather unresponsive, Einstein in his zeal for his studies hardly noticed this.
This student period at Zurich, which was so important for Einstein’s mental development, was not such an easy time for him with regard to practical living. His father’s financial situation was so difficult that he could not contribute anything to his son’s support. Einstein received one hundred Swiss francs monthly from a wealthy relative, but he had to put aside twenty of these every month to accumulate the fee necessary for the acquisition of Swiss citizenship, which he hoped to obtain soon after graduation. He did not experience any real material hardships, but on the other hand he could not afford any luxuries.
7.
Official of a Patent Office
Einstein completed his studies just at the turn of the century and now faced the necessity of seeking a position. When a young man with extraordinary interest and ability in science has completed the regular course of study at a university or technical academy, it is important and generally desirable for him to obtain further training to become an independent investigator by acting as assistant to a professor at a university. In this way he learns the methods both of teaching and of making scientific investigations by working under an experienced person. Since this appeared to be the appropriate path for him, Einstein applied for such a position. It became evident, however, that the same professors who had praised his scientific interest and talent so highly had no intention whatever of taking him on as an assistant. Nor did he receive any direct explanation of this refusal.
With no possibility of a teaching position at the Polytechnic, the only alternative was to look for one in a secondary school. Here again, despite excellent letters of recommendation fromhis professors, he was unsuccessful. The only thing he obtained was a temporary position in a technical vocational school at Winterthur, and after a few months he was again unemployed.
It was now 1901. Einstein was twenty-one and had become a Swiss citizen. Through a newspaper he found that a gymnasium teacher in Schaffhausen, who maintained a boarding-house for students, was looking for a tutor for two boys. Einstein applied for the job and was hired. Thus he came to this small city on the Rhine whose famous waterfalls resounded throughout the vicinity and where numerous tourists stopped to see the natural phenomenon, which received three stars in the Baedeker.
Einstein was not dissatisfied with his work. He enjoyed molding the minds of young
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