Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1907-09-05
10 YEARS OF ESPERANTO.
The Progress of the Universal Lam
uuage in America and Elsewhere.

The Progress of the Universal Lam
guage in America and Elsewhere.
The first society devoted to the
study of Esperanto was organized in
st. Petersburg in 1894. It did very
little work. however. Into France
| Esperanto made its way as early as
| 1888, one year after its publication.
1t there came to the notice of that
fine scholar, linguist and traveller the
Marquis de Beaufort. He had been
thinking himself upon the problem of
a universal language. After twelve
years of work b created the Ian
guage "Adjuvanto the helper; it's
idea being much like that of Esperan-
to. He found that Esperanto was in
many respects superior to his own,
and so he gave up his own Adjuvanto,
though il had represented so much of
his life work. He compiled a text
book of French in Esperanto, which
he published in 1892, and in 1898
formed a society for the study of Es-
peranto. The Paris exposition brought
great many scholars to France, and
the French Esperanto society made
an effort to bring it to their notice.
They succeeded in this to a large ex-
tent, and since then Esperanto has
been spreading rapidly all over Eu-
rope. There are now 100 clubs in
France devoted to the propaganda of
Esperanto, all connected with the
central society. Esperanto is being
taught in the army and navy officers
of France; and there is now a bill
which has good prospects of being
passed before the assembly providing
for the teaching of Esperanto in
schools of France like any other Ian
guage. There are now 100 clubs in
England, but Esperanto made little
progress until 1902, about which time
it was taken up by w. T. Stead. The
London chamber of commerce now
gives examinations in Esperanto Just
as in any other language.
In America Esperanto has not
been growing so rapidly, the trouble
seeming to be that it has not been
brought sufficiently before the public
notice. Secretary Root has told me.
however, that he thinks seriously of
Introducing it as a requirement of
preparation for the consular service.
There have been two international
congresses held. The first was at
Boulognesur-Mer in 1905 at which DR.
Zamenhof was decorated with the
cross of the Legion of Honor. That in
Geneva last year was attended by
representatives of twenty-eight ma
tons. 1t was a most impressive sight
to see them all gathered in one of the
churches of the city for services in
Esperanto. The next congress is to
he he' at Cambridge, August IS. and
Is considered most important as an
opportunity of bringing Esperanto be-
for the English-speaking world.
You can readily see the purpose of
Esperanto in its commercial and
scientific aspects, and for purposes of
travel. Its usefulness there is very
had another object in view, to make
the nations OF the earth brothers. The
ideal object of Esperanto is the pro-
motion of human justice and brother
hood, and whatever may make to
better understanding among the ma
lions Of earth. we are working for
treaties. for arbitration. but mutual
understanding by means OF a common
language would do more than all the
treaties in the wor |. Perhaps this
object in Esperanto may fill you with
more enthusiasm than the more gen
eral purposes. DR.. Zamenhof is very
DESTROYS that we Americans. with our
enthusiasm and our strength of a ma
ton, should take it up. He feels that
1t is not merely our Pan-American
but our worldwide position that calls
upon us to be leaders. In a pamphlet
addressed to us he says: o American.