ESPERANTO.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 784, 6 April 1910, Page 8

ESPERANTO.

'VISIT OP 'lieut.-colonel :;j. . ■ '/:■■'■•':' -POLLEN.; </ , Lieut.-Colonel J. Pollen, a brother of Dr. ■Pollen, Port Health, Officer of ■Wellington, and an enthusiastic expon-. : eht'.of Esperanto, which , aims to, be, the '-nearest.' approach to an international language that has yet been devised, is visiting Wellington. In tho, course of an-interview,. Colonel Pollen, who is a fine type of an English gentleman, stated Esperanto had spread all over the world in the most remarkable manner, and ,that without the assistance .of the powerful or wealthy. He had only just recently received a letter in excellent Esperanto from a student in Fiji. Every' civilised country had many Esperanto. enthusiasts, who" could not but assist the spread of this simple useful language, which, made verbal communication possible between men of different nations,- ignorant of. each other's.language. At the International Congresses, -representatives of upwards of . forty distinct nationalities had taken part in.the proceedings, and-had understood one '.another perfectly without any difficulty. : He,had found, during his.; stay in the north, that Maoris had no difficulty in pronouncing Esperanto' words. As an examplo-of, the comparatively, short timo it takes to learn the language, Colonel Pollen said that one of the professors at the Tokip University, who visited ' England tho year before last, was able to deliver a perfect speech in Esperanto after having studied the language for ten months, but admitted that be could not make-the speech iu English,. which he had studied for-ten years.

Colonel Pollen, who is president of tho British Esperanto Association, has been spending a pleasant time at Rotorua, and was delighted .with the place, as he is with New Zealand generally. He is to deliver an address on Esperanto at the Missions to Seamen this evening. ' ■■'-.-