LETTERS OF FRIEDRICH WOHLER 127 



making yourself indispensable to the company, that 

 your future is assured, unless another sphere of useful- 

 ness may be open to you in the meanwhile, which 

 might be more congenial to you and offer still greater 

 pecuniary advantages. 



To judge by a few utterances in your letter, you 

 are still having an eye to teaching, although you seem 

 to be aware that it is difficult for a foreigner to obtain 

 such a position. Here in Germany there is great de- 

 mand for such places. I could not hold out any pros- 

 pects for you at this moment. 



While admitting that I am unfamiliar with condi- 

 tions in America, it surprised me that your company, 

 which produces such a colossal amount of salt, does 

 not start a subsidiary business, e.g. a soda factory or 

 a manufactory utilizing the ingredients of the mother 

 liquor. Yet I am aware you have already thought of 

 this yourself and have your reasons for its imprac- 

 ticability. 



I rejoice to hear of your domestic happiness and 

 your fatherhood. When I think that I studied with 

 your father at Marburg and that now his son tells me 

 of his children, I realize from this and many other 

 things how old I am. Yesterday I celebrated my 66 

 birthday, and 'unser Leben wdhret 70 Jahr und wenn 

 ist hoch kommt 80.' Moreover, I am feeling well and 

 can attend to my duties as I have always done. But I 

 cannot attend to the special functions of the strenuous 

 Practicum as well as formerly, as every semester sev- 

 enty or eighty workers use up a quantity of material 

 and tools. Therefore I must leave the principal details 



