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ESPERANTO MOVEMENT

SUCCESSFUL CONGRESS HELD IN WELLINGTON MANY ESPERANTISTS ATTEND FOUR WANGANUI DELEGATES The ninth Esperanto congress of the New Zealand Esperanto Association was held in Wellington over the week-end when some 80 Esperantists from all parts of the Dominion attended. Opening the congress, Mr. B. Potts, president, said that never before had the need for a common neutral and yet simple language been greater than it was at the present time. He stated the now historical event when four of the world’s leaders met only to have to resort to interpreters on perhaps one of the gravest occasions in history. Although Mr. Neville Chamberlain had used modern transport to get to his conference ip Germany with I Herr Adolf Hitler, the methods of conveying ideas was the same as used during the Babylonian Empire. Later, both Mr. Chamberlain and Mr. Anthony Eden had spoken about the language barrier. Mr. Chamberlain had said that at no time had he been sure that Herr Hitler had fully understood the ideas he had intended to convey. And yet, said Mr. Potts, the solution had not been far away. Only a few months before the 30th. world congress had been held in London, when some 4000 Esperantists from all the nations of the world had come together under one simple, neutral and common language. If Esperanto could enable us to break down the frontiers of nations, concluded Mr. Potts, truly it was worth fostering. The Wanganui Delegation The delegates from the Wanganui Club who visited Wellington were Mr. and Mrs. S. Nolan, Mrs. E. Watkin, Miss Watkin, and Mr. R. Robbins. All the committee meetings held during the congress were conducted entirely in Esperanto and were a proof of the amazing flexibility and diversity of the language. Also entirely in Esperanto was a lecturette session in which the speakers were Mr. Leek (New Zealand), Mr. J. Major (Hungary), M. Lanti (France) and Mr. A. Vogt (Norway). A community sing was enjoyed, in which well-known songs were sung to Esperanto words, and sketches and plays were produced in the same language. M. Lanti, who cannot speak English, is a visitor to New Zealand. He learnt Esperanto after the war and since that time has not spoken any other language. Even his own language, he says, he has forgotten and refuses to learn or speak any other than Esperanto. He is leaving for South America soon and said that wherever he had been, even in Japan, he had found Esperanto sufficient and he always meets with Esperantists. • His achievement in speaking only the Esperanto language for over fifteen years is a proof of its practicability and the claim that it is now a living language. Even Esperantists who had only been learning for six months were able to converse freely with him about every-day topics. Next Dominion Congress In reviewing the progress of the movement in New Zealand it was shown that there are now two monthly journals published and over 12 clubs. Esperanto was taught in five different schools during 1938 and extensive correspondence carried on with overseas Esperantists who did not have a knowledge of English. Before the congress closed it was announced that the tenth Dominion congress would be held in Wellington during the Centennial. The president, in conclusion, referred to the international aspect of the congress in whose sessions several Esperantists from abroad took part and invariably used the international auxiliary language. It had been one of the most outstanding congresses to d.ate and he was sure that the tenth to be arranged by the clubs of Wellington and district, would even surpass the successes of the past three days.

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Permanent link to this item

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/WC19390104.2.36

Bibliographic details

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 83, Issue 2, 4 January 1939, Page 6

Word Count
609

ESPERANTO MOVEMENT Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 83, Issue 2, 4 January 1939, Page 6

ESPERANTO MOVEMENT Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 83, Issue 2, 4 January 1939, Page 6