The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1916-08-20

who interviewed them, how much
pleasanter and more profitable it
would have been.
The reader may say at would have
been as pleasant If both parties had
been able to speak English or
French" True, but Esperanto is
much, very much easier to learn
than either English or French. Toll
stoy learned il in few hours suffi-
GENTLY to enable him to read it un-
derstandingly.
Most. if not all acquired languages
are difficult to understand because
of their tendency to run into lido
matte expressions. Esperanto is to-
tally without idioms and literalness
In it never confuses, but rather gives
clearness to expression.
A remarkable tribute to the re-
spect in which DIR. Za1nenhof is held
by all the peoples of warning Europe
is the fact that his safety and well
fare during these trying times have
been the constant object of the SOL
icitude of every nation. When the |
war broke out he was offered asy-
luin in Great Britain, IN France and
| in Switzerland, which he refused,
preferring to remain with his own
people in Warsaw When the Ger
man army entered that city an Off
Ger was at once dispatched to see
that his safety was secured. There
were many anxious months when no
news came out of Warsaw and diplo-
matte agents of this country were ap-
pealed to, to make inquiry regarding
DIR. Zamenhof's condition, our State
4 Department later being able to send
cut to the newspapers of tue. coun-
try the assurance so much desired.
Esperanto is now spoken by more
than the combined population of
Denmark, Greece, Belgium and
Switzerland and it has been proven
practical, meeting every test by
eleven world congresses, held yearly
since 1905 and which were officially
recognized by many governments
who sent representatives to them.
From 20 to 45 nationalities have been
represented in these various rnterna-
. tional gatherings and the sole med
ium of Communication has been the
International language, Esperanto.
Witnessing the struggles of other So
called international conventions, in
their attempt to conduct necessary
business in several national tongues,
resulting in endless confusion, exas-
perating delays, tiresome repetition,
and unmitigated boredom, for some
part of the gathering at all times,
who can doubt the desi1ability of one
efficient means of inter-comprehen-
sion.
) With the masterpiece of national
writer's as well as strange folklore
and traditional tales from out-of-the
way corners of the world, absolute
ly unobtainable in English, but open
to the Esperanto student, one can
I certainly find recompense for the
Z time spent in acquiring a knowledge
of the international Language. Fol
instance, the novel, La Farano, by the
Polish historian, Kabe, was printed
in but one language and that Pol
ish, until brought out in Esperanto
"a tale of old Egypt, it tells of the
long continued fight between the
priestly class and the young PharoaE
for the power which had so long
been in the hands Of the priests and
who had in reality been the power be-
: hind the throne. The state of the
Jews at that time is most wildly Dor.
trayed and the love story running
: through it keeps up an interest even
in one who reads merely for the
= story.
: The best works of Shakespeare
: Moliers, Dumas, Poe, Hugo, TolstCy,
Q Heine, Ibsen, Schiller, Goethe, etc.
9 as well as many original works from
gifted Esperanto authors, form a col
lection of the choicest world-litera.
: ture, which has its own peculiar ap
g peal in these broadening days wher
u thinking people are realizing thai
I "my neighbor is also human" The
Bible is brought out in single copies
n of each book of the Bible also as {
whole and the missionaries of thc
= Fila Islands are teaching the Es
: peranto language to the natives al
\ it has been proven so much easier
and quicker to learn than the Ian
guage Of the natives.
II The study of Esperanto is growing
because it is a splendid means of en-
joyment, lf-culture and diversion
opening through its 5000 presen
publications, large field of the
worlds best varied literature ant
having back of it that greatest of al
ideas, the universal dissemination o.
J all useful knowledge without mis-