August 13, 1996

There can be no doubt that your 65th birthday on August 27 marks a formal milestone in what has been a continuous flow of living inspiration and dedication to the triumph of the humane over human nature. The history of mankind is the history of the human conscience which makes everything deliberately possible, from the most horrendous to the most sublime. The simple and the sublime must be introduced already before the child is born and cultivated in its earliest years if we are ever to sublimate our only too human nature.

These words are offered in tribute to you, for you have proven their validity by your life and your work. May I wish you many more years of continued endeavour in the direction all men and women and children of goodwill are pursuing?

Sincerely, Yehudi Menuhin