Perth Amboy evening news., 1920-11-22
as many do. there would soon be an end to the
present outrageous state of affairs.
LEAGUES OFFICIAL LANGUAGES.

Spanish has been made an official language
of the League of Nations. There are now three
official languages. English, French and Spanish.
II is expected that the Italians will soon Insist
that their language be similarly recognized.
They have just as much a claim in this regard
as have the other three nationalities.
Later on, as the league develops and the Bit
terness of the recent war subsidies it is expected
that Russian and German will have to be rec
ognized. also.
But, in the meantime, the committees of the
league are even now Wrestling with the problem
Of how to conduct their proceedings in three
languages instead of two. Even with only
English and French there was more or less mis-
understanding in interpretations and transla-
tions. 1t is going to be harder with three and
worse yet with four or six.
As Laurence Hills, the New York Herald
correspondent, in writing on this subject says,
the success of the assembly of the league, in
which all of the forty-one member nations are
represented, lis threatened with falling under
the curse which befell the builders of the Tower
of Babel"
The EVENING NEWS has pointed out this
one great stumbling block in the way of inter-
national peace and mutual understanding. The
one thing that would do more than anything
else to assure the success of the League of Ma
lions is the adoption Of an auxiliary language
that belongs to no one nation in particular. yet
which can be readily spoken and understood by
all nationalities, and which is easily learned.
The fact that there is in existence such an
auxiliary language that has withstood every
test causes one to wonder why. when the ques-
ton of language is causing so much embarrass-
ment at the session of the League of Nations,
som action is not taken to make a thorough in
vestigation of this international auxiliary Ian
guage with the view of adopting 1t as the one
official language of the league leaving the diff
ferent nationalities to use their own mother
tongues at home as they see fit.
When It is realized that the international aux
Hilary language. Esperanto, is used just as readily
by a Spaniard. an Italian a Slav, or a Japanese,
as it is by an Englishman, a Frenchman a Turk,
a German or a scandinavian; that it has been
so used at the great international congresses of
Esperantists at which the most technical SUBJ
iects have been discussed and the speaker has
been easily understood by every delegate present,
although practically every civilized nation of
the earth has been represented. it would seem
that Esperanto would be just the medium of
speech to use at such a gathering as the League
of Nations.
Esperanto is based on all the spoken Ian
guages; 1t is so simple to learn that many per-
sons have obtained a workable knowledge of it
during the week or ten days in crossing the
ocean.
II the delegates now assembled at Geneva
should agree to adopt Esperanto as the official
language of the League of Nations to be used
only In the discussion and consideration of in
ternationel affairs, and should follow up that &C
ton by insisting that Esperanto be taught in all
The schools of the member nations along with
The mother tongue OF that nation, by the time
he next session of the assembly is held mil
lions of people in all parts of the world would be
able to use this one auxiliary language AMI the
greatest difficulty that now confronts the League
of Nations would be overcome.