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reason so deeply into things at school that we would find things wrong with easy problems -- discover difficulties that made apparently simple problems hard. It used to annoy us sometimes but still we persisted in delving into abstruse theory. It is fun, if two congenial people can do it together, and glory in it.

[[underlined]] To Willie, February 10, 1925: [[/underlined]] My work is coming on very well. I have collected a large amount of data, sketches, comments, results of runs, etc. and am doing this as intensively as possible so I will have something to show "the king" when I tell him I want to get to work on something of my own. I do not expect to hit him up for that for several weeks yet though, as I have now been on this work for only six weeks and I believe that he has an idea that there is an enormous amount to learn about the process. There is a lot, I do not deny that, but I think that by applying myself hard, I can learn enough in say ten weeks, to be able to go ahead with work for myself. But I'll have to show him and the best way to do it is to practically write a book on this process, which is, in a sense, what I am doing by gathering all this material and arranging it with sketches, drawings, etc. "The king," which is the name the men give to Mr. Steenstrup, the boss, is a "great Dane," being a big Danish man, a wonderful mechanic, designer, and manager. His development of this hydrogen brazing process will make him famous if nothing else does. He is not a technical man -- most of the big men here are, including Mr. Swope, the president -- but he has wonderful natural ability and has pushed his way to the top. I ought to get a chance to learn a lot through my association with him. ...... When you wrote last fall Tennyson's lines from "Locksley Hall"

"--And I looked into the future
far as human eye could see,
Saw the vision of the world
and all the wonders that would be --"

little did I appreciate the significance of those lines to me as I looked into my future. How marvelous it is going to be -- I think of it always. Right now, June is as far in the future as my eye will deign to see.

[[underlined]] To Willie, February 11, 1925: [[/underlined]] The enclosed sketch I made in a great hurry down at the plant today, and it is awfully crude, but it will at least give you some idea what one of the furnaces looks like. This is the latest type, the right hand drum being the furnace proper, while the left hand drum is the cooler. Theoretically I suppose I shouldn't send this out, but I know that you wont divulge any of the secrets of the "Genelectric Co." No one is allowed in Bldg.8, where these furnaces are, unless they work there or have special permission to enter.