Perth Amboy evening news., 1919-01-14

FOUNDATION FOR UNIVERSAL PEACE

,annaae A. the verv foundation of peace and concord throughout
the world lies mutual understanding. People cannot work IN harmony
if they do not understand each other. Nearly Ill te trouble III .o
world comes from misunderstanding. When the people OF ne hanon
a readily grasp the viewpoint of the people of another nation ana
thoroughly comprehend their aims and ambitions nearly all Oh INT
suspicsions and friction that ae constantly arising VIII disappear
How to bring about this through understanding between n'u""'
Is tbe great problem for the peace congress now assembled ~ 81
sailles to solve. Even the proceedings at this conference are manu-
capped o. account of the differences of language. II 1t Is u"cu' "
make each other understood under such circumstances 10" "
more difficult will it be to make people of the different nations under
stand each other when the program to be drawn up at TIM hlere"
is put into force?
The greatest need of the age in which we are living one
thing that is needed to make the desire for mutual understanding and
universal peace assured is a common language for all nations.
When the mother tongue'of the different nations are considered
it's plain that no one Of them will be acceptable. 70 adopt french OF
English or Spanish or Italian a a world Language would be at once to
start friction, jealousy and suspicion. The advantage nj any hauon
would attain by having its mother tongue adopted as the whole world
language is readily apparent. In the first place, the mastery OF any
one of the national languages in common use today would be very dit
fcult for the other nations. 1t would be spoken outside the
mother country only imperfectly at best. The people whose mother
tongue it would be would have a decided advantage in every port in
the world, and the traders of that nation would be II a position 10
derive a great benefit. It's plain that, to be a success, there must DE-
an auxiliary language language common to all nations, but one
in which no n nation would have a advantage over another.
With such IN auxiliary language a person would have with his
mother tongue, al. that was necessary to make himself perfectly un-
derstood throughout the world. international publications could be
issued in the auxiliary language so that they could be read with
equal Auency in all countries thereby bringing information and en-
ighteament to different nations a. to their principles and ideals.
The mother tongue would be used at home as usual in the ordin-
airy walks of life. nut when speaking with a person of another nation,
or when any international conference is called, such as would be nee
essary for a League of Nations or an international court, the auxiliary
language would be used and the persons present, although represent
ing all the nations of the earth, would understand each other perfectly
Mthout- Mtes ASSISTANCE. oflnterpreters. 1t would, indeed, be "a one
great world family Of nations.
By the use of the auxiliary language scientists, economists and
leaders in thought in every walk of life from all parts of the world
could meet and discuss the subjects they were most interested in and
be thoroughly understood.
Tie idea seems almost visionary. 1t is too ideaishc for a great
many of the more practical people of today to comprehend. Yet ii is
something that has got to come if the world is ever to be drawn to-
gether in a common bond Of brotherhood. In order to avoid misunder
standings and quarrels there must be a means of getting together IN
speech and the printed word.
But the idea is not as visionary as many suppose. There is in ex-
istence today an auxiliary language that has met every test and PROV
en- itself capable of meeting every demand. This language is known
as Esperanto. 1t is the invention of a Pole who, with Latin as a
foundation, has succeeded in working in root words from all the lang
uages s. that the auxiliary language is "a familiar to one nationality
as another. II has been said that Esperanto has no literature and
therefore cannot 1--we. But it is not supposed to have a literature, 1t
is merely an auxiliary to be used only when persons of one nationality
communicate with persons of another nationality.
Esperanto has been making steady progress throughout the world
year by year. 1t has not progressed in America as much as in Europe
because an auxiliary language is not needed here as it is abroad. If
every state in the Union, however, used a different language it would
soon be found that a Language common TO all would be necessary III
order to do business together and to avoid misunderstanding.
Those persons who hear the French lieutenant at the high school
when the Red Cross Roll Call was opened shortly before h f,a rs
may not know that he was an enthusiastic Esperantist. lie told OF
having attended conventions in Paris where there were delegates from
all paris of the world. men entirely ignorant of the mother tongues
of the different nations, yet by the ue of Esperanto, which was used
throughout the sessions, every delegate present, whether English
French, Russian. Italian or Japanese, understood each other perfectly
The Frenchman agreed that a universal auxiliary language was nee
essary to assure universal peace and to make a League of Nations a
success.
Although Esperanto has been most thoroughly tested IN every
variety of subjects, being used in technical and scientific subjects
as well as in ordinary conversation, would it not be a wise move on
the part of the peace delegates now assembled in France to appoint a
commission composed of delegates from the leading nations and give
Esperanto a final test as an auxiliary language If it is a success would
it not be advisable, as one of the provisions IN the peace treaty, to
compel every nation signing the treaty to agree to make the study of
Esperanto compulsory in every school in the land along with the moth
err tongues The language is easy enough TO learn so that enough per-
would master it at once to make it disable now. but as soon as the
next generation grew up and took charge of public affairs, the
auxiliary language, learned in all the schools throughout the world,
would be in common use and forever after every person growing up
would have a thorough knowledge of a universal language a well as
the mother tongue. 1t would take but a few years to have Esperanto
81 oxen everywhere.
There is nothing in this plan that would mean the abohshmg of the
different mother tongues. The literature of the ages would be used
the same as now, only as n auxiliary tongue TO communicate between
n tons, Esperanto would be used.
In advocating universal peace and a League of Nations this mat
- ter of languages seems to lie at the very foundation of success. The
least hat p ha dom il IA invaStigafe IL mn baVa an unbiased panort