Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-08-17
ESPERANTO A LANGUAGE.
Delegate to Congress Here Calls It
Neutral Tongue.

10 the Editor OF The Star:
In your editorial Monday you say that
Esperanto should be denominated q code
rather than a language. While your re-
marks as to the essence Of a language
and its racial characteristics may apply
to any of the racial and national Ian
guages. you apparently overlook the fact
that Esperanto Is based on the assump-
ton that beneath these national pecuii-
arities there is a substratum OF neutral
ground which is, TO a great extent. COM
mon to all; and on this substratum may
be raised a language free from these
racial characteristics, and for that very
reason International in its essence, and
at the same time already familiar to a
large extent to those who speak any OF
the racial languages which 1t unuerlies.
Practical experience has shown that
Esperanto may be justly and rightly con-
sidered ss this underlying and common
tional In its appeal or in Its forms, he
who speaks any Of the great European
group of languages finds In Esperanto
new form. sufficiently similar to his own
er tongue, yet doing away with just those
elements which make that same mother
tongue difficult. or impossible. to the for
eigner. Instead of this racial appeal, he
lUOS d new appear WHEN uc COIlcS "
realize that Esperanto is not only his own
language. but also the language of his
brOther-man Of other race or nation. and
that, through 1t, he Is for the time free
from those bonds and barriers of the ma
tional appeal, and can come out on the
common ground of internationalism and
broad humanity. II is just this feeling
and appeal which is the inspiration of Es-
peranto. and which gives II the right to
claim a place among the living languages.
Washington will be amply sufficient to
prove this, yet one must remember that
the very fact Of its being in America
makes it. in reality: less international
my privilege to attend congresses in
Geneva in 1905. and in Dresden in 1908
as well as the present one In your hos
pitable city, and I may claim some
utility of Esperanto. but also Of Its ur,r
DERIVING sentimental appeal, and its right
to be called q language. Now. II only
formal meetings are considered, II might
possibly be permissible to call II q code.
but a code, however perfect, would never
suffice for the informal conversation and
intercourse that is. after all, the real end
and aim Of an Esperanto congress. You
cannot have a quiet chat with your
Spanish. German, Russian or other
friend. with jokes and stories. by means
Of a code: but you can do SO by Esper-
anto. ! know, for l have often done 1t.
No. Esperanto is not a code. but
language. vital and virile, with its own
proper and peculiar appeal and sentiment.
that of internatiOnalism and broad neu-
trail human sympathy.
The rose of our gardens IS an artificial
product, for nature unassisted could
never produce it. But a combination OF
the best elements of many roses goes to
make it what it is, and the combined
beauties of all delight us in their COM
mon progeny. 1t lives most assuredly
with the best life and beauty Of all its
ancestors. So with Esperanto. Artificial?
Yes: as this rose is artificial. for nature
could not produce II. Living? Yes: for 1t
lives with the best and most vital ele-
ments of all its sources.
LEWIS b. LUDERS.