St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1897-08-14
A UNIVERSAL TONGUE.
Effort to Arrive at an International
Language.


Language.
For years men OF mental attainments
have puzzled their heads over some
language which should be internation-
al-some method of communication
which should render all nationalities
equal on the common ground of speech
and writing.
One of these men is Russian, T..
Samenhof, who originated the lam
guage Esperanto, and he has just is.
sued circular which IS novel and inter-
esting. He says that while for the last
200 years men have been willing to
adopt a universal languageissor scien.
tific work and books possessing an
equal interest for all nations, nothing
definite has been arrived at because OF
the enormous difficulty and expense
of gathering congress from all parts
of the world of persons interested in
the idea. Mr.. Samenhof says vigorous
ly: 1T is disgrace to mankind that
we--who dream of communications
with other planets-we, members of
one human family, are as yet incapable
Of communicating with one another,
and on this account even hate and avoid
each other.
Mr.. Samenhof therefore proposed
spiritual congress, which can be ear
ried on without the interruption Of
the business pursuits of the people in
terested. His circular states that any
one in any land who desires to take part
in the discussion on the expediency OF
adopting universal language is in
yited to send a notification of the fact
to him at Grodno, Russia, and anyone
who is desirous of expressing his ideas.
on or motive for the adoption of any
especial language is requested to send
in addition an essay on the subject.
All papers SO received will be printed
without comment or change in any
particular, in the order received, in
book, published in three volumes, the
separate volumes issued at intervals
as the essays come in. When the three
volumes are complete, no more essays
will be received. The third volume
will have as an appendix list of the
persons participating in the discussion,
and some questions which each essay.
ist is requested to answer and return
to the compiler of the volume. The
questions will be:
ID Do you find after perusing this
universal expression of opinion. e.,
after a thorough reading of these vol
umes-that one of the already existing
languages natural, artificial, living or
dead) should be adopted as an interna-
tional language? (2) Or that none Of
the already existing languages can
serve for this purpose and totally new
language must be created? If you an.
swer question in the affirmative
please state what language you would
desire to select as an international
tongue. Il you answer question 2 in
the affirmative it should not be forgot
ten that the final decision of the demand
will either be impracticable, or, at any
rate, will be postponed indefinitely =
Three months after these questions
or their blank forms have been issued
all voting must cease and the vote re-
ceived will be published and the Ian.
guage having the largest number OF
votes will be proclaimed international
by Mr.. Samenhof, of Russia.
However, Mr.. Samenhof realizes that
bis proclamation will do no more than
crystalize the agitation of the question
and probably hasten the fruition of the
idea of an international language, for
he says SO. The book he is to publish,
of course, will cost money, and he an
nounces that he will sell it at one dol
lar per volume. A detailed prospectus
of the scheme will be sent any anxious
inquirer who writes Mr.. Samenhof at
Grodno and incloses two-cent stamp
Of any country.
Meanwhile we are talking English
and managing to worry along.Chi-
cago News.