The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-12-05
AT THE CAPITAL,
Blind i'm Washington Are Study-
ing Esperanto.
Miss Esther Josslyn Griffen Of
Kansas Helps in Work.
STUFFED IN EUROPE.
First to Recognize Advantage of
the Language to Sightless.
Items of Interest to Kansans
From Washington.

washington are studying Esperanto,
the world language, and several of the
members of the Capitol Esperanto club.
composed of blind people, have MASTER
ed its intricacies. The club meets in a
room in the hall of the Women's Chris
tan Temperance union every second
and fourth Monday of the month
Miss Esther Josslyn Griffen, who is d
Kansas woman and the superintendent
of the reading room for the blind of
the congressional library, lovingly and
sympathetically helps the blind in their
studies of the universal language. Miss
Grlffen is president of the club, which
Is known in the language it studies as
the t'Kapatola Esperanto Clubo." Miss
Griffen is a niece of Jack Harris of
Ottawa, Kan, who secured her ap-
pointment in the congressional library
at the time he was defeated for con-
gress in the Second district by Mason
Peters, Populist.
Esperanto is the product of the fer
tile brain of DR.. Zamenhof a Polish
ocullSt, who, after devoting many
years to its elaboration, published his
first pamphlet dealing with the new
language as long ago as 1887. Although
his invention was greeted with en-
thusiasm in Russia from the first mo-
ment that it was made public, its
spread was Slow and it has not been
until within the present century that
the study has become at all general.
Washington has had Esperanto en-
thusiasts since 1906, and at present it is
estimated that there are over two hum
dred people in this city actively inter-
eSted in this new tongue.
Esperanto attracts because of its ex-
IRENE simplicity. Unlike any other
language, it is strictly phonetic-every
letter has a constant value in the pro-
nunciation of words. Then it's gram
mar is absurd1y simple. To all those
people who have laboriously mastered
the two thousand different endings of
the French verbs Esperanto, with only
twelve endings, Is a revelation and a
delight. The student can tell at
glance whether any particular word is
a noun, adjective, or what not, and
wonder of wonders! there are no ex-
ceptions to it's grammatical rules.
Miss Griffen quickly realized that
Esperanto was going to be a great
thing for the blind, and decided on the
formation of a class from those whose
interest in the language might be
aroused. Her efforts were SO en-
Enthusiastically seconded that last year
the Capitol Esperanto club was organ
lied by her. 1t is not made, up entire
ly of blind people, but has some other
seeing people among it's members be-
sides Miss Griffen. who is great be-
lever in not isolating the unseeing peo-
pie. Under her leadership the mem
bers made splendid strides toward the
mastery of the new language. How
ever there was only time before the.
season closed for the taking of the pre-
liminary steps. This year the work has
been resumed and the menu
bers are going enthusiastically about
their studies. During the summer Miss
Griffen was in Europe making study
of Esperanto.
Having such a number of systems
makes too much work for those of us
who are directing the efforts of our
blind brothers and sisters" said Miss
Griffen to the State Journal CORE
spondent. There are too few books
now which have been turned into finger
print, and of those there are, a blind
person can only read those that are
written in the system with which he IS
familiar.
why. right here in the reading room
of the library of congress, we have l.
200 books in raised writing, and of
these I doubt very much if there are
more than 300 in any one system. Lots
of our readers have read every book in
the place, and it is hard to get more
and harder still to teach the other sys-
TENS"
When she was asked as to the posi-
bilities there were in the study of Es-
peranto by the blind, Miss Griffen grew
said heartily. at means more to them
than the average person can realize.
Their lives are naturally SO much less
diversified than those of people who can
see that every chance to broaden their
horizons is welcomed eagerly by them.
They are glad of the opportunity that
Esperanto offers them of communicate
ing with the blind all over the world.
It puts them on an equal roofing with
all over the world, and
1eIps immensely to break down the
barrier that exists between the blind |
and those who can see."
Miss Griffen spoke with gratitude of
he sympathetic letters of encourage |
nent and material aid that the local
circle had received from Esperanto |
clubs from many parts of the globe. |
seem to be very clan |
7ish sort of people, in spite of the very
diversified nationalities from which |
heir ranks are recruited. They are in
crested in every movement to advance
he cause of their language. and are
ever ready to lend helping hand.
Here in Washington the Library of |
Congress has for many years had a
special department set apart for those
leaders who could not see. large
.oom on the first floor of the magnifi- |
cent library building was set apart for |
his purpose, and here for the last ten |
Or eleven years Miss Esther Josslyn |
1riffen has lovingly and sympatheti- |
ally aided the sightless persons who
must depend upon her the superintend- |
mt of the reading room for the blind, |
or guidance in their reading.
All the books in the reading room |
ire naturally in the raised characters
which the blind read by passing their
niger tips over the surface of the thick
PAPER on which the characters have
,een made.
Miss Griffen is an expert at reading /
his peculiar photography and teaches
he blind how to decipher it. Her long
md useful work here has made her
cnown as one of the most skillful teach
RS in the United States. One feature
# her methods which has perhaps at
racted more attention than any other
$ the practice which she established in
Connection with the reading room, of
h1z rrnrlniaera I,lrSI