The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-11-17

reads. we all read" Il am stronger than
you. but your bread is fresher than mine.
ave been done into stylish Esperanto
translation in the other direction is taken
up and a book Of short stories in Esperanto
is turned into English at sight, with more or
less accuracy, according to the capability
or language sense Of the student.
Almost invariably one of these beginners
has n suggestion for the improvement of
the language, and here the tact OF the in
strIctor comes in. He knows. from his
W experience. that the first steps in
Esperanto. because of its simplicity as a
whole. suggest 10 the thinking student what
seems to be a more direct translation Of a
single idea. a plan which il admitted would
spoil the principal scheme.
He therefore assures the eager prOpOser
that suggestions for the improvement OF
Esperanto are like measles in ~ildhoo
We all have them, feel better than before
after they nave disappeared. are usually
immune against the same trouble hence
forward. and become converts 10 what the
Esperantists POLITICALLY call the untouch-
ableness of the fundament.'
This lea rners' class il taken in hand by a
different adept each Friday, not because
a variety Of method Of instruction ID con-
sidered a good thing but because the adept
does not want to be absent all the time from
the conversation group, which Ia made up
Of the old members. the officers and the
quicker students.
This set shows Esperanto at its best
There il is no formaltty; smoking If. in
obliged in, to which the ladies' don't object.
and the visitor who IL there simply TO look
on cannot fail TO be Interested.
Esperanto is distinctly musical language
when spoken freely and correctly. h
best conversationalist seems to be the
An.atAaAt - ekA nNRsaNNy EE Nav TnfFrNAW
who has further signalized himself by pub
fishing an Esperanto grammar. though. as
n book reviewer remarked recently, the day
seems to be coming when every E~sperantist
will be his own grammarian. Perhaps IL
is as hard for an Esperantist not to write
a IA for the author ola best seller
not to write a play.
II the subjec,s Of conversation in the
adopts group we're not ollowed word for
word by the visitor, il is nevertheless easy
TO understand their nature. Politics, Pade-
rewski, vivisection and the club meeting
room we're referred to A. one recent meet
ing, and DIR. ZamenhOf's name vas re-
peatedly mentioned.
Esperanto contains many words which
are familiar to everybody. no matter what
practically their own form, 50 that the
subject Of a conversation in the language
Ia easy work 10 the eaVesdropper.
About 10 O'Clock the two beginners
classes break up; some OF the students 20
home and others Join the adopts and listen
a~dmiringly TO the Esperanto. Dues are
collected from the member who owe them
they are only rs cents a month-and the
treasurer glOats over the money.
The financial secretary enters also the
sums in his ledger and confers in Esperanto
with the treasurer on the ACCESSIBILITY 81
getting out handbills about ihe society
and dropping them I'm the dark from the
elevated trains on unconscious passeTsby
beneath. But this proposal is frowned
upon by the president.
The secretary. who began the evening
by reading the minutes Of the previous
meeting. and who &c is said has a big Es-
peranto club of his own in Brooklyn also.
thinks OF his homo in Tenafy. y. j.. and on
his face appears the commuters wrinkle.
Hats and overcoats are donned and every
body the Esperanto equivalent
for Eau revoir," which Ia 1Ris revido." with
a circumfiex accent over the &. making "
sof-, as in gem
There is a camaradcrie about the Fs-
peranLAts which Ia very agreeable. They
may discuss frenzicdly delicate points
abouy The translation OF a word and may
djfer heatcdlv about the pronunciation Of
"A d'phthong. but no one loses his temper.
A light touch Of humor seems 10 porvade
the meetings and the varied OCCUPATIONS
reprcsen' ed render them additionally in-
teraS!ing. Tine evening there were present
two doctors, three newspaper men, a broker.
n proofrender. a brewer. several clerks. a
fully a Dozen school teachers. The last
are still In the beginners classes. but they
are progressing with rapidity and EVIL
IDENTITY enjoy the whole affair hugely.
No romances have a. yet come to light
from h Esperanto meetings.