A LANGUAGE SCHEME

Evening Post, Volume LXXIX, Issue 80, 6 April 1910, Page 4

A LANGUAGE SCHEME

FOR PEACE AND COMMERCE. AN ESPERANTIST EMISSARY. " WORKING IN NEW ZEALAND. "Spira, spera" — which may be roughly translated : "While there is life there is hope" — is practically tho motto of the^ Esperantists. Working out the ideal of Dr. Zamenhof, the founder of this new language for all peoples, they hope to assist in the formation of a brotherhood of man by enabling the members of all, rncea to communicate easily with one another. Peace and good-will, by a common tongue, was the great desire of Dr. Zamenhof. Colonel Pollen, President of the British EspeTantist Society, is now in Wellington. His object is to stimulate public interest in the language throughout these islands. In his time he has picked up a few Janguageb, and his final enthusiasm is for Esperanto. He tersely gave a few facts yesterday to a representative of The Post to support his argument that Esperanto was not a dream, but a working reality, constantly extending its sphere. Thus: — WORLD-WIDE PROGRESS. The number of Esperanto Societies within Great and Greater Britain has quadrupled within the past year. It is estimated that between 30,000 and 40,000 people in Great Britain can now speak and write the language. The number of persons with a good working knowledge of Esperanto in the world is computed to be above a million. Esperanto, says the Colonel, has spread in such a marvellous way throughout Great Britain, Europe, America, Japan, China, and other countries, that it is already possible for any student of the language to become familiar with the principal literatures of • the civilised world. Esperanto consulates have been established in the larger towns of Europe to help travellers to make themselves at home. For instance, last year a party of Scotch teachers took a trip to Spain. They could not speak Spanish, but the Esperanto consulates enabled them to strike up a speaking acquaintance with Spaniards. ' The Esporantist Society publishes some 4000 pages of magazines in a year. China, Japan, and the Philippine Islands have their own Esperanto publications. The Government of Brazil issues its official statistics in three languages, of which one is Esperanto. The London County Council has classes for Esperanto, and tho London Chamber of Commerce conducts examinations in tbe language. Esperanto is an optional subject for the preliminary examination at Oxford University. The utility of Esperanto for business purposes has been recognised by some of the leading firms in London and on the Continent, states Colonel Pollen. In Dresden alone there are 140 business houses which correspond in Esperanto. London has an Esperanto Bank, doing business with the Continent, with the transactions by cheque and otherwise expressed in Esperanto.- The Esperantists have the decimal system, which in England has tho florin for tho unit. NEW ZEALAND'S INTEREST. There are Esperanto societies in Auckland and Christchurch, and in addition there are isolated groups of Esperantists not/ yet formally connected with the parent organisation. Colonel Pollen says that many New Zealanders, including a .lcrjgo plumber of ladies, havfe well mastered the language, and some of them ! have letters and post-cards in reply to communications written by them in Esperanto to foreign Esperantists in various parts of the world. The visitor mentioned that some years ago Sir Joseph Ward advocated the teaching of Esperanto in the State schools. Since his arrival in New Zealand Colonel Pollen has discussed this proposal with the Hon. G. Fewlds (Minister of Education), but the Minister has not committed himself to approval of the suggestion. EASY TO LEARN. It is a common belief that a knowledge of Latin or French is a valuable advantage to a student of Ssperanto, but the envoy remarked yesterday that some people with no knowledge of any language except English had proved quicker to learn Esperanto than others who knew Latin, or French, or both. The best Esperantist in London was a man whose only other language was English. It is said that an average man, devoting fifteen minutes a day to Esperanto, can express himself in it in about three months. Colonel Pollen repeated the plea of the Esperantists that the new language is not meant to supplant any of the old languages, but to serve as a helpmate. He holds that Esperanto will help rather than hinder the English language in enlarging its speaking sphere, and will assist, ultimately, to simplify English spelling.