The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1901-06-06
ESPERANTO.
a FRESH SUGGESTION FOR Il UNI.
VERsAL LANG UdGE



Literary Sciences now being held a
Paris steps should be taken to secure
the adoDtion of a universal language
for scientific and commercial purposes
Projects of this nature are brought for
ward periodically, and never fail to Sc
cure the adhesion Of a certain number
Of distinguished names An immense
deal is said to be said in their favor, the
advantages are manifest, and little can
be urged against them but as the one
trick OF the cat in the fable was worth
more than the fox's score, so this little
is of supreme Importance.
Thus at one time Lat in was in Use as
a universal scientific language, but it
was subsequently abandoned, because
it failed to meet modern requirements.
This failure, we believe, was not due TO
either its limited vocabulary or to it's
complicated grammar, but rathec to the
fact that the connection betWeen the
craftsman and the scientific investiga-
tor is now very direct. Up till the Ee-
=
used in manufactures of nearly every
description were based entirely on the
experience of centuries, the principles
underlying them were not understood,
and it was therefore impossible proper
~ to coordinate them. Long appren-
ticeshps were therefore necessary, in
which were acquired the mysteries OF
the trade.
All this Is now changed. The modern
manufacturer is not satisfied to know
that a certain procedure is successful,
but wishes also to know why, since he
may thereby be able to improve his
methods, or render available for his
purpose a cheaper raw material. Fer
aid in this regard he relies upon the re-
searches carried out in chemical and
physical laboratories and were the re-
suits of such Investigations published
only In a language not understood of
the people the industries of any coun-
try would be correspondingly handl-
capped Gauss, we believe was the last
man of eminence to publish his work in
Latin.
Some years back much was heard Of
Volapuk, and sanguine individuals fore
saw a time when this jargon would be
the mother tongue of the whole of the
human creation. Nevertheless, Vola-
puk has been given up by the s.dvo-
Gates of internationalism in language,
and the suffrages Of the literary and
scientific world are now sought f,r Es-
peranto, an artificial language due to
DR.. Zamenhof, Russian linguiat. The
te tl,l
consist of sixteen rules, without any
exceptions and there are but seventeen
notifications of the examinations OF
words. The words themselves sic
based mainly on roots drawn from the
Romance family of languages. II IL
claimed that with ten minutes inStruc-
ton in the grammar a novice can trans
late Esperanto with the aid of a die
only, while months study suf-
fees to enable him to write or speak it,
the latter operation being simplifId by
phonetic spelling.
About fifty thousand people in differ
ent parts of the world have, it is stated,
taken up it's study, and could one in
sure that all the science and literature
of the future would be written in this
language the schoolboy of the next gen
Grafton would have more time at his |
disposal for the cultivation of the i'm |
pursuits of cricket and football, !
which he is now forced to neglect fer |
such time as is needed to give him |
some smattering Of French and Ger
man, to say nothing Of the classical |
tongues.
Unfortunately, until a new language
has certain vogue it is as useless as
electric organ would be to
the hypothetical ancestor of the gyal-
notus. If our innovators could solve
this well known problem in evolution
they might get some valuable hines as
% how the intermediate period in the
Ease of their own speciality might be ne
sotiated Nevertheless, there is little
loubt that for International commune
,ation a universal language would
nave numerous advantages in simplify
ng commerce nd facilitating the inter- |
,hange of ideas
AS matters stand, however, it is much
more likely that an existing tongue
should be adopted as such a medium
han that any of the fancy tongues de-
Used by sanguine inventors should
ome into favor, whatever their theo-
etical merits. Indeed, to certain eX-
ent this is actually the case, as on the
3altic and Black Sea shipping charters
re commonly drawn in English, what
ver the nationality of the parties in
crested; and in view OF the immense
pread of the English tongue during the
asst century the day may not be distant
When most civilized people will be fair
Y we'll acquainted with it. At the
resent time one or two authors of for
ign nationality write in English in
reference to their native tongues, .
ince a wider circle Of readers is thus
pen to them. +
1t must, however, be admitted that
,nglish has some serious drawbacks.
,ur grammar is, it is true, cairlv sim
lie; but the less said about our system, +.
/ want Of system, in the matter CT ;
polling, the better. The latter point is, !.
owever perhaps of minor Importance, :
S our American friends are, step by
,ep, introducing simplifications, each
{ which in turn excites the ire and de-
sion of the highly conservative public =
n this side of the Atlantic, hut Of :,
hich many, nevertheless, have proba- ;,
ly come TO stay. The French seem :
,ther less conservative in such matters !,
ian the average Briton, since only last !,
ear some importa ant Simplifications in l.
rammar and photography were Off
ally recognized