Perth Amboy evening news., 1919-05-13
Public Opinion
Universal

Editor EVENING NEWS
Dear Sir:-Will you kindly allow
me a little space to say a few words
anent the Paris letter of Mr.. Lloyd
Allen, which appeared in your valu-
able paper a few days ago.
AS an Esperantist of long standing,
who has attended several information
al Esperanto congresses, who has per-
sonally met many of the more emil
nent representatives of the movement
from the various countries, and who
has for over ten years represented the
Universal Esperanto Association in the
City of New York, l can state most
positively that the charge of II
Frenchmen, due no doubt to wilful
transformation, hat the Germans
tried their best to get the world to
think favorable of artificial languages,
In order to prevent French n Eng
fish from being considered as the legi-
Innate world languages, Is made en-
tirely of whole cloth.
This charge might have appeared
plausible enough had at least Germany
stood at the head of the movement.
Well, she does not. More than that
Esperanto for the last ten years de-
rived its greatest strength, and re-
ceived its most generous and enthus-
iastic support from the very countries,
whose languages are supposed to be
first in line for international recog-
milton. Unfortunately for hat over
excited Frenchman's theory, not in
Berlin, but in Paris are located the
headquarters of the various propagan-
da committees; in Paris. and not in
Berlin. are published the bulk of the
purely international journals; it was
the famous French publishing house
of Hachette & Co. which published
| the works of the illustrious inventor
of Esperanto, DIR. Zamenhof. n it
was again h famous Sorbonne, at
which, before the war. there used to
take place the monthly gatherings of
Esperantistss at which some of the
best known publicists and reconteurs
OF Paris used to swap stories and car
ny on" generally as only Frenchmen
can. all In classic Esperanto. And that
wonderful piece of handicraft, the
Verda ~Standardo. which is unfurled
amidst the greatest enthusiasm at the
opening of the yearly international
congresses. this glorious symbol of in
ternational comfy, and which is rev.
cred by ~Esperantists almost as much
as the Ark of the Covenant was rev.
cred by the Hebrews as they followed
through the wilderness to the Prom
Used Land-this precious symbol Is
kept during the year not in Berlin.
but in Paris.
And, again, unfortunately for the
ridiculous charge of that misinform-
ed Frenchman, it is in London. and by
prominent members of the Chamber
| OF Commerce of London. that fhe
| strong Common Commercial Language
| Committee has been launched urging
upon the businessmen Of the world to
| adopt Esperanto as an auxiliary in
ternational language, and the secre-
tary of that committee is S. r. Mar
| shall, of Thos. Cook & Son.
| And then again, while only one
\ Chassis of the German language has
been translated into Esperanto (the
| Robbers OF Schiller). and that not by
la German. but by DR.. Fam
enhof himself, the English
men, in addition to Hamlet. which was
translated by DIR. Zamenhof himself.
have translated julius Cesar. Macbeth.
| The Merchant of Venice. As You Like
II. and The Tempest: they also trans
lated the New Testament, and was
published by the British and Foreign
| Bible Society. and Is now for sale at
every Bible House in the World.
JOSEPH SILBERNIK,
New York Delegate of the Universal
Esperanto Association, 22s K. 18th
| street New York.