The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1917-02-20
AIDED BY CONFLICT
WAR HAS CAUSED THE SPREAD
OF ESPERANTO.
INSTEAD of InJurlng 1t, New Interest
Has Been Aroused In the Language
Spreading Rapidly in the
Far East.

At the outbreak Of the European
war Esperantists everywhere feared
that the struggle would have an ex
tremely unfavorable effect upon the
progress Of the international language
Great was our establishment therefore
when it gradually became apparent
that just the opposite was true, re-
marks the writer Of letter to the
editor Of the New York Sun. The first
| important event that took place was
the official recognition that Esperanto
received from the government of Ger
many, which published an Esperanto
translation of the original documents
relating to the war and caused 1t to
| be widely distributed among Esperan-
lists in the neutral countries. This
| was followed by a series of publica-
tons in Esperanto that history will
show formed IN important part Of Ger
many's campaign of publicity in neu-
trail lands. A few months later the Es-
! perantists in France organized a So
ciety devoted to spreading an exact
knowledge of the French "side" of the
world war.
In all Of the warning nations and in
the few countries still at peace there
has awakened new interest in ES-
peranto, and it is now being studied
by many who were not even aware of
it's existence a few years ago. This
Is particularly true of the soldiers OF
all the countries at war, prisoners OF
war and those interned in neutral
lands. In the internment camp at
Harderwyk, Holland, for instance,
where there are several thousand Bel
gians and French soldiers, hundreds
have already begun to learn Esperanto,
and this is also true of another impOr-
tant camp at ZeiSt, where Esperanto
is said to be spreading like wildfire."
But the most interesting reports Of
our progress come from the far East.
There is now large and fiourishing
society in China that has made thou
sands of converts" to Esperanto; and
Japan is much better represented than
in former years. This is remarkable
in view of the dissimilarity between
Esperanto and the language of the
a letter I received some time ago from
a friend in that quarter of the globe,
Maj r. l.. Bush, who is stationed at
Manila. Major Bush writes: Last
May and June / Travelled through
Japan and saw many beautiful places
and .beheld many wonderful scenes; it
is beautiful and interesting country.
Toll
tists,, who were very hospitable and
who did everything they could to make |
my visit a happy one. They guided |
me and treated me as "A guest, and l |
made some very good friends" Major |
Bush now goes on to say that the Jap |
lnese Esperantists honored him high
y as an American soldier, and that in
Japanese Esperanto association he
vas presented with an ancient Japan
,se sword. He continues: "Esperanto
vas a great help to me in Tokyo; it
gained me friends, through whose
lindness I was enabled to see much
more than l could possibly have seen
" myself. | have always believed in
uC utilbty VI tiC
md l am now certain of it,
A language whose advocates are as
as the Esperantists must
ecessarily possess great commercial
advantages. Business men in Ger
nany, France, Russia and England
re now making active use of it, and
7ill increasingly continue to do so.
| significant indication of the tendency
f the times is afforded by the recent
ecisiOn of the common council, Guild
all, London, that whereas, England
nd her allies are preparing to act in ,
oncert in relation to future CONNER
ial affairs, it is highly desirable that
ne language be accepted as CONNER
al language, to be taught in all
.hoOls.' And the resolution, which
have freely translated from an Esper-
nto version, goes on to recommend
,r consideration the languages of the
lies. English, French and Russian
nd Esperanto.
IL