ESPERANTO.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 149, 18 March 1908, Page 8

ESPERANTO.

AN ENTHUSIAST_■ IN WELLINGTON. >• THE, MARCH. OF.; THE LANCUAQE., . UNIVERSAL. - ■ A STATE- SCHOOL SUBJECT. Some years ago Esporantistß,.theistudonts ■of tho languago that would,fain become .universal,..were /regarded as mildly , amusing, people, .who: were seeking, a vain'thing. They were -.quit?.harmless, was regarded ,as , foolish : ;to :MCMiragO; them 'in ..their - already.. . too? solidbelief- thatV'tlieir' pot-pourri- language would .or v could! become, any thing approaching a vocabulary whereby all nations -of the' earth 'could 'converso or 'correspond ,; without; an: acquaintancOj with one",another's, natioriar tongue'. -<;,This ! ideia'.-has;WOrri.so'ithin -.tb'at,;'pri-'peenhg^\thrpitgh,'^ ' forrri'of a universal lanr;n;i2o is:iindoubtc(lly discornible: in ''Espdranto.'',./Atr; a'.' pinch,, the :,writer;would: even a"little mpre.:Th_at" pineh iias been administered by Jlr. Harry ; A. /Epstein, -; hb'n. vice-president- of' tho Step- ;: noy Esperanto ; Group;. London, :and - member' of the' B^ritish'■ Esperanto Association, .who arrived in: Wellington by ,'tha. 'E-imutaka a - few ago..- {'Mr. tells *a -wojider- ; ful 'story:, about' tho ■ all-cohquoring.- marchof! ; Zamenhof's" clover- language.,!:! I

COMMERCIAL CORRIiSPONDENCE.

-'.In':London,.Mr.' "Epstein\was.a'','correspon- : denco ' clerk -in ,a-;hig ,advertising house. '.aud ,so .useful -was liis, knowledge':' "ofv.Esp'cranto. ' that jie,' was/detailed 'to'.lbok-.after.'.all 'the V firm's"'cbrresponderice - in', ,tlie . new'jlahguage. • , Jifo > - spinetliing -new,"/ but; i Mr. ;:Epstein; ' 'states •' that; there■ are" dozens of : .firms:[dealing v;ith:fpreign countries .who ;do all,'' or. a gedd part/of, 5 their, foreign; correspdndehco'through the medium of "'Esperanto. 1 --' Could", he name 'someP 'Certainly Stcphen's Ink, . Oliver and .ißemington's-: /.- Typewriter'-' Com- ' panieSj' .Fry's - Cocoa,:, Colman's ' 'Mustard, ' ,Cocksedgo.; and :.Co.',, the .Tandem ' . 'Srii'elting Company,' Buchanan, Scott,and.,. Co. ,'.(the whisky,people)) the SwanFount'ain Pen Coriipany,-'- the' /British-South,- African . Company, of .London and /Rhodesia,: and; others too numerous to detail. ; ' "The LondoniCounty'Coiiricil has included . Esperanto among-.the'. subjects; for. /its-oVeri-mg classes;" 'said JIr I .j, ? Epstoiri';;'^ , !a.ii'd. iri:,tho' examinations conducted)" under ,the/auspices of the London Chamber-of-Cpinriierce'in. May ■last thoro was a higher perceritaga' pf-passes' ; in-Esperanto . than, iri ary' othei-. language, ■French ■ excepted." '< "Esperanto is- now; considered.^an: essential part, or a:commercial:,education, ;and .'•■ such well-known commercial' colleges-asi-Pitman'si . Cusack ? s,:-and-' Clark's have'" included,,, it,,in ' their .curriculum.','- • • -'. - THE LAST CONGRESS. .'. ". Has it ibeon taken up by the Universities - yet ! ", No,:-but' that is ouly a matter The last annual;. Esperanto-'Congress '~>vas' . hdd:f,my,CmbrMge"jt,^^TO^miiM' : pathy •were:-the/ .University... authorities', with the- 1 movement';.that'-.theyvallowed:.the-Con- - gress/.toiuse., the:',big-;'Dniversity,,i:;^ . Hall.l -was present, myself.'': An- ririteresting'featur'ei and one indicating-how'; readily, the. language/can--be'- learned,-; Was furnished :by -Prof. ;Mayoran ,octPgenarian don of Cambridge^'He; ~'had''- only/.'taken.' .up \the -language-: fwot months Congress) jyet • he was' able -t(>; speak -,it 'a-s 'fluently :as' : any. present. '-,' v 'ln. 5 , order,^that.'-tho-.•police:* ofvCain-.' bridge would be abloto. render every assistance.t'o^fbrfcigriers 1 , attending 'ihoVconfereiioe, they; were .instructed;iu.,Esperaht(),' and wefe, ' able to 'understand •; and 'make themselves un- . denstood ■ during -.the" session, ;\and Sergeant. a fluent Esperahtist. ~'!' ''.'■'

EASI LANGUAGE TO LEARN,

-; ''for I . earth, and in addition 1 a ■ simplfi-.toy. to ; the. ■ root "words in 'Esperanto has been-'published v in . all . tho "European - languages. '■ .'He ■ main-;. . jbliaA. language. ; known, to /jnani .to; learn becauso of' its strict; .'adherence to. its root words, "and its' free;' ; - that.-.arie". met, with,. . ;'m\our wn 5 language! . for the'vEsperantb word lioyb, which V moans-ox.-' From that is- derived bovirio (cow) j .bbvido: (oalf)j bovajo .(beef), bbvidajo' (real)'. ' /Thon'.'.there are-afow/ prefixes that convey what is'meantlat once.y v. ; Take'the prefis'.m'al, • ''..'.which;'ineans::'Jbpposijb; to;"" ißono . moans goodj:,'nial-bono, , bad; : grande, ,: big;' mal-' grande,' small. .Ek - signifies ''the being 'of ■ action, such. as (to' "sing), • ekkanti (about to sing), redi ;(to laugh), ekredi'(about to laugh); . . • .•' . •. . . : < ,' , CHOSEN' INTERNATIONAL LANGUAGE; , ; : -r, ,^ em 0 ■' m o of the .Paris 1 International' /.Exposition,- in 1900 a delegation was appvntod to consider the 'question of an iritornational -.-laiiguagiß;' •\ It invited' theadhesion of : scientific and professional bodies all. over tho ' world; and; up to/the-middle-of'-.1905 the Paris Academy of/ Sciences' had "received ,upof ,700. adhesions from-'scientific 1 bodies' and individuals,' including: two -professors I ''of .' the University. of 'Edinburgh:- > Tho- Royal Philosophical; Society of Glasgow ;is one of . the bodies whiqli approved, of. the idea, and . "intimated:its"'adhesion.;. >Tho; delegation- (ihr V:; ishe'd : its ;examination>. of the' .claimsof : v the ''•-".various 'schemesa-'few."months agoy arid - iitis : ... recommended.-; Esperanto-.'.' : forinternational adoption i , THE PREMIER'S VIEWS , :The -Premier,i-Jlr.. Epstein '.understands/ .was ,:fa.vpurably; 'inclined;;;tj3wards -the vintrar ' : duction.-of Esporanto'intd ,tho State, schools;' ■ ~ Ho.'drew .attention 'to 'a,speech ■.delivered 'atNapier in; December, 19.06,: tin - the: braking-', up of. tho High School; On that" occasion ■ Sir, Josoph Ward, said that lib' had . recently .'/ attended ! a; great flriternational 'Congress'; at - which there were 130 delegates , from ' all parts : . 'of,the world;' Me?i'from;China had ( to havo' ■ interpreters; * who understood French and Chinese jthoso from Austria required men who .understood Austrian andjErcadi those from : Cuba; had'to ' Have interpreters who ,'under- .';, stood. Spanish; and 'so; on.'. Thijso' : . who did not '■ understand French ' missed a grcat ; deal ofiwhat, was'h'eing 'sajd.' He. was . of opinion that'rit w'as vhighly .'deSirablo 'Es- ' ; peranto should be introduced; into the' curri-. qulum of ' tho State/s'cliopls.- >Though; literary!. .' mon; might 1 riot .altogether"agree .with; it,...he •; was Satisfied, in his Town mind-that, cbi)£ider- " inj> .what "was 'being.; douo in. the. .way pf ;... bringing . the .'different. nations togetheri'; some \ language' of.'a general.arid-common : ,'charaoter : 'that ? might.. be - used:' by,', th'opeople . of" all countries : oughtto bo' taught,'' so ;tbat , -people who were unable to,speak-..French.or ; German -would'onot'-.be .'quite aCs&u' ,' He - ad- ' mitted ;-it iiriightitako.. a'.'few v years ;..tp':educato people up to.;accepting.,this su'ggcstion^-but' - it -was; not many, years'.'since'.shorthand'.and. trpewnting were looked-. upon as almost, impossible of adoption, and now, of? ; course,' they were. almost universal in: commercial . offices. _He had at . the moment a .letter : from a;man/in- a,high educational position - in the: . Dominion, impressing upon : him the-. fact' that; he and mariy _ others wora^agreed upon .the,' point ...that in-;addition' to teaching French,i Latin and v German in : the'Schools, v they should teach this' ".International -language.".. It^''could' be iri; six months; whereas Froneh, ; Liitin-'arid ' German could - not': be- mastere'd. in less -'than three years,'even by smart, linguists.; He was strongly of opinion they should do w-hat they' could to assfsf iri; t^achirigja-.-language, - that would bo.of such value-throughout the World.' . ESPERANTO IN LITERATURE.; '' • <• Mr. Epstein dwells;; upon vthe perman- ' of 'Esperanto ;in. : no. uncertain: terms. | It had been taken up' by the higher-schools in France, and was- now a . subject in , the French army and navy eolleges. ."What will make for permanency and an interchange in' -- national. literature ■ is. - tho'- translating Trork that was being' done. Some "of -the .best-known works of ' such ; authors as Dickens, Shakespeare;' . Dau'det, Goldsmith, Moliere, ; Byron, . Virgil and others,' have been translated ' into Esperanto;;_ and ','sov-. . cral countries;:are .'.-now", publishing.'guide • books in Esppranto : (Mt.. Epstein produced one on Yorkshire, and another Von Switzerland), demonstrating liow .very goneral -thb nsp of this janguage/.is becominff- in Europe v