Please forgive a father who is so bold as to turn to you, esteemed Herr Professor, in the interest of his son.

      I shall start by telling you that my son Albert is 22 years old, that he studied at the Zurich Polytechnikum for 4 years, and that he passed his diploma examinations in mathematics and physics with flying colors last summer. Since then, he has been trying unsuccessfully to obtain a position as Assistant, which would enable him to continue his education in theoretical & experimental physics. All those in position to give a judgment in the matter, praise his talents; in any case, I can assure you that he is extraordinarily studious and diligent and clings with great love to his science.

      My son therefore feels profoundly unhappy with his present lack of position, and his idea that he has gone off the tracks with his career & is now out of touch gets more and more entrenched each day. In addition , he is oppressed by the thought that he is a burden on us, people of modest means.

      Since it is you, highly honored Herr Professor, whom my son seems to admire and esteem more than any other scholar currently active in physics, it is you to whom I have taken the liberty of turning with the humble request to read his paper published in the Annalen fur Physick and to write him, if possible, a few works of encouragement, so that he might recover his joy in living and working.

      If, in addition, you could secure him an Assistant's position for now or the next autumn, my gratitude would know no bounds.

     I beg you once again to forgive mi for my impudence in writing to you, and I am also taking the liberty of mentioning that my son does not know anything about my unusual step.

      I remain, highly esteemed Herr Professor, your devoted