The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1910-09-26
IDO AND ESPERANTO.
DIR. Louis Couturat Enters n Firm
Denial.

Editor The Washington Herald:
Since Prof. Macloskie. in your issue Of
August Is. qualities me as the author or
lido" I beg your courtesy to insert the
following rectihcation:
I am not the author OF lido. lido 10Th
erwise the international language Of the
delegation) is the result OF the labors and
decisions OF the international committee
Of twelve scientists specially elected 10
select the best international language.
It decided unanimously 70 adopt Esper-
anto in principle. but conditioned on sew
eral improvements; and this improved
Esperanto is called lido. because the au-
thor Of Esperanto himself refused 10 rec
ognize 1t.
The most eminent Esperantists, how
ever, voted for these decisions The COM
mittee examined and discussed impartial
ly all projects for an auxiliary language;
it received also many proposals for re-
form from the most competent Esperant-
lists, and judgment was rendered in ac-
cordance with all the documents.
The reforms adopted were demanded
unanimously by many, and especially by
Prof. Macloskie himself (see Harper's
Weekly. July Z. 1900; so one cannot IN
derstand why he approves Esperanto.
which preserves these defects as I'M
touchable and disapproves lido, which has
amended them precisely according to his
desire
lido has been adopted and is being prop
agated by the Union of the Friends OF
the International Language" which has
as presidents Prof Ostwald, OF Leipzig
Nobel prize man In chemistry; Prof
Pfaundler. member Of the Academy OF
Vienna. and Prof. Jespersen. the famous
linguist Of Copenhagen. Every eompe-
tent and impartial man acknowledges its
great and evident superiority 10 Esper-
anto, not only on account of SIS brevity.
cision. and fleXbility.
1t is the only language suitable for
science (see International Language and
Science. Constable, 1870. 1t is untrue
that IL has no infections;" ii has only
the necessary ones II suppresses. the ac-
cusative, and the agreement OF the sdjec-
tive, like the modern languages and the
one most involved (English) Will any one
assert that the English is less clear than
the German, which has many useless in
Elections? LIDO has, more than Esperanto
the qualities Of Latin. and because Of
that its adersaries reproach it with being
a Latinized Esperanto.
All this ought TO secure the sympathy
Of Prof. Macloskie. In any event. II Will
secure the sympathy of the majority of
those speaking English, who Will
never accept a language with supersigns.
and who have always abominated the
supersigns Of Esperanto.
Or. LOUIS COUTURAT.
Secretary OF the Academy Of the Union, Paris
CNote by Prof C. Macloskie.)
The simple explanation of my noncurrence with my
friend Prof Couturat was that regarded the medi-
cine as worse than the disease knew that an
opposition language would do a great deal of HARM
even while / was confident that it could not sue
coed.
The facts which I stated to the interviewer Of
The Herald, that lido has produced very little Itera-
ture and that il has gathered no international con
gress such as that which recently gathered FOR
Esperanto in your beautiful city Of Washington are
IN my Judgment, proof that it is like some very in
teresting species Of Viantsnpt dominant but deca-
dent now think that lido is very faulty for
AeiAiib W. AA@As NoAst1s NltSu Changes The
worse.
IL is crowded with unfamiliar word forms and
has rejected Zamenhofs cOrrelatiEe prononinaI
forms, which are not easy. but in my Judgment are
very helpful IN part that is Troublesome In all
languages. and IN lis place it gives heterogeneous
mass Of fragments which can ba mustered only By
an effort OF memory. Il does retain some infections
Of nouns and adieetives but the adjectiTal infsc-
items are dummies, being infected and conse
quenty OF scarcely any significance though present.
N Ia ~ la
system Of Latin.
The infections Of the nouns in lido are worse than
none Tor they always succeed in causing the adj
1ectiye 10 disagree with It's noun when you piuralze
the noun; and thus they produce nausea If you are
a LAtiuist.
wish to congratulate nv friend Prof. Couturat
on the fact hat probably IN response to his criti-
eisns Esperanto has now reformed the worst Of its
sGITasignate defoTmiteA Verax's Dictionary Of Es-
peranto Encyclopedias Vortareto has abolished tbs
supEasignate cultural h, which nobody but a Rus
sian OF a Gael could pronounce and gives a sweet,
simple to lead OF such words As chemistry and