________________
179
your letter. I myself have a monthly salary of 30000 German marks, that is, if you consider that an English pound: sterling is today the same as 19000 marks, much less than £ 2 per month. Now 1000 marks are, in Germany, of little more value than in a foreign country, so that a foreigner with foreign money can live very cheeply in Germany. But what are 1000 marks outside ? I can assure you that I am not able to buy a book printed in India or elsewhere. That is a highly and seriously and deplorable matter for a scholar who cannot work without foreign books. If I am to confess the real state of things, I should be very glad, if I could find a way to do some literary work for India, which soever it may be, for a moderate remuneration, only for the purpose of buying books, I need absolutely for my studies and without which I cannot continue my scholarly work. I am by no means a businessman; the one thing I want is to investigate Indian religion and literature for which I have had a sincere and deep admiration since the: seventeenth year of my age. I therefore beg you not to blame me, if at present, I connot contribute anything to the Shri Vijayadharma Suri Memorial Fund. I remain, dear sir,
Yours very sincerely,
JOH. NOBEL
(2)
Berlin, March 30th 1923. Dear Sir,
I am afraid that you are very angry with me, becuase I did not answer your letter dated Dec. 12, 1922. I had, how. ever, a tremendous lot of work to get through these months, as
a book on Indian poetry had to be furnished by the end of Shree Sudharmaswami Gyanbhandar-Umara, Surat www.umaragyanbhandar.com
