International Language Part 16

PRESENT STATE OF ESPERANTO: (_a_) GENERAL; (_b_) IN ENGLAND

(_a_) _General_

The first question usually asked is, "How many Esperantists are there?"

The answer is, "n.o.body knows." The most diverse estimates have been made, but none are based on any reliable method of computation. In the _Histoire de la langue universelle_, which appeared in 1903 and is written throughout in an impartial and scientific spirit, 50,000 was tentatively given as a fairly safe estimate. That was before the days of the international congresses, and since then the cause has been advancing by leaps and bounds. Not a month pa.s.ses without its crop of new clubs and cla.s.ses, and the pace is becoming fast and furious.

A marked change has been noticeable of late in the press of the leading countries. It is becoming a rare thing now to see Esperanto treated as a form of madness, and the days of contemptuous silence are pa.s.sing away. Esperanto doings are now fairly, fully, and accurately reported.

The tone of criticism is sometimes favourable, sometimes patronizing, sometimes hostile; but it is generally serious. It is coming to be recognized that Esperanto is a force to be reckoned with; it cannot be laughed off. One or two rivals, indeed, are getting a little noisy.

They are mostly one-man (not to say one-horse) shows, and they do not like to see Esperanto going ahead like steam. High on the mountain-side they sit in cold isolation, and gaze over the rich fertile plains of Esperanto, rapidly becoming populous as the immigrants rush in and stake out their claims in the fair "no-man's land."[1] And it makes them feel bad, these others! "Jeshurun waxed fat," they cry; "pride goes before a fall, remember Volapuk!" The Esperantists remember Volapuk, close their ranks, and sweep on.

[1]_Nenies proprajo._ Esp. Deklaracio, Art. 3 (see p. 117 [Part II, Chapter VIII]).

Another good criterion besides the press is the sale of books. Large editions are going off everywhere, especially, it would seem, in America, where the folk have a habit, once they have struck a business proposition, of running it for all it is worth. "Let her go! give her h.e.l.l!" is the word, and "the boys" are just now getting next to Esperanto to beat the band.

The British Esperanto a.s.sociation's accounts show a very steady increase in the sale of literature. Considering that it sells books at trade prices, that hardly any of them are priced at more than a few pence, and none above a shilling or two, the sums realized from sale of books in some months are astonishing, and represent a large and increasing spread of interest among the public. Owing to the low prices, the profit on books is of course not great; but, such as it is, it all goes to help the cause. The a.s.sociation is now registered as a non-profit-making society under the law of 1867, with no share capital and no dividends.

As regards official recognition, good progress is being made in England (see below); but if the language is anywhere adopted universally in government schools, it will certainly be first in France. (For an account of the present state of this question, which is at present before the French Permanent Educational Commission, see Part I., chap. vi., p. 30). Dr. Zamenhof has been decorated by the French Government, and Esperanto is already taught in many French schools. For purposes of education France is divided into districts, called _ressorts d'Academie_, within each of which there is a complete educational ladder from the primary schools to the university which is the culmination of each. The official head of an important district is Rector Boirac, head of the Dijon University. He is one of the most distinguished of the Esperantists, and is the leading spirit at the congresses and on the Lingva Komitato. He has done much for Esperanto in the schools of his district, and under the guidance of men of his calibre Esperanto is making serious progress in France. (For lists of university professors favourable to an international language, see p. 32 [Part I, Chapter VI]).

In Germany one of the foremost men of science of his time, Prof.

Ostwald, of Leipzig, is an ardent advocate of the international language. He recently was lent for a time to Harvard University, U.S.A., and while there gave a great impetus to the study of Esperanto. He also spoke in its favour at Aberdeen last year, on the occasion of the opening of the new University buildings.

Apropos of the interchange between different countries of professors and other teachers, which has to some extent been already tried between America and Germany, it is curious to note the att.i.tude of Prof. Hermann Diels, Rector of the Berlin University. He is a great supporter of the extension of this interchange, which also has the approbation of the Kaiser, who attended formally the inaugural lecture of one of the American professors, to mark his approbation. Prof. Diels commented on the fact that diversity of language was a grave obstacle; but though he seems before to have been a champion of popularized Latin, he now declares himself strongly against any artificial language,[1] and advocates the use of English, French, and German. This is a modified form of the old Max Muller proposal, that all serious scientific work should be published in one of six languages. It does not seem a very convincing att.i.tude to take up, because it ignores the facts: (1) that the actual trend of the world is the other way-towards inclusion of fresh national languages among the _Kultursprachen_, not towards accentuation of the predominance of these three; (2) that the increase of specialization and new studies at universities is leaving less and less time for mastering several difficult languages merely as means to other branches of study. Why should everybody have to learn English, French, and German?

[1]Herr Diels quaintly finds that Esperanto has only one gender-the feminine! Surely an ultra-Shavian obsession of femininity. It is perhaps some distinction to out-Shaw Bernard Shaw in any line.

For the rest, Esperanto is now beginning to take hold in Germany.

The Germans have, as a general rule, open minds for this kind of problem, and are trained to take objective views in linguistic matters on the scientific merits of the case. The reason why they have been somewhat backward hitherto in the Esperanto movement is no doubt their disappointment at the failure of Volapuk, which they had done much to promote. But now that, in spite of this special drawback, the first steps have been made, and clubs and papers are beginning to spring up again, everything points to powerful co-operation from Germany in the future.

In Switzerland progress has been enormous since the Geneva Congress of 1906. Many clubs and cla.s.ses are already formed or in process of formation, and university men are supporting the movement. In one respect the Swiss are now in the van of the Esperantist world: they have just started a newspaper, _Esperanto_, the prospectus of which declares that it will no longer treat the language as an end in itself, or make propaganda; it will run on the lines of an ordinary weekly, merely using Esperanto as a means, inasmuch as it is the language of the paper.

The well-known Swiss veteran philosopher Ernst Naville wrote to the Geneva Congress that for thirty years he had regarded the introduction of an international language as a necessity, owing to the advance of civilization, and the day of realization of this object would be one of the greatest dates of history.

It is impossible to go through all the countries of Europe in detail.

It is probable that the greatest numbers of Esperantists are still to be found among the Slav peoples. The language first took root in their midst, and was spread far and wide by a distinguished group of Slav writers.

Outside Europe, Esperanto is making great strides in the British Empire, j.a.pan, and America. There are now Esperantist clubs in various parts of India, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, in Malta, Singapore, etc. Dr.

Pollen, C.I.E., President of the British Esperanto a.s.sociation, has just been touring in India, in the interests of the language. Among many satisfactory results is the guarantee of handsome sums towards the guarantee fund of the coming Cambridge Congress by several native rulers, among others the Mir of Khairpur, the Raja of Lunawada, the Nawab of Radhanpur, and the Diwan of Palanpur.

In New Zealand, an enterprising pioneer country in many departments, the Prime Minister, Sir Joseph Ward, is favourable. Not long ago he made a speech advocating the introduction of Esperanto into the public schools of the colony.

In America big Esperantist societies and cla.s.ses have sprung up with amazing rapidity during the last year. Several universities now hold Esperanto cla.s.ses; the Boston Ma.s.sachusetts Inst.i.tute of Technology has more than 100 students in its Esperanto cla.s.s, and, among schools, the famous Latin School of Roxbury has led the way with over fifty pupils under Prof. Lowell. The press is devoting a large amount of attention to Esperanto, and many journals of good standing are favourable. _The North American Review_ has taken up the language. It printed articles in December and January by Dr. Zamenhof and Prof. Macloskie of Princeton, and followed them up by courses of lessons. It supplies Esperanto literature to its readers at cost price, and reports that evidences of interest "have been many and multiply daily."

Among university supporters are Profs. Huntington and Morse of Harvard, Prof. Viles, Ohio State University, Prof. Borgerhoff, Western Reserve University, Prof. Macloskie of Princeton, etc. On the other hand, Prof.

Hugo Munsterberg of Harvard is attacking Esperanto. His is a good example of the literary man's uninformed criticism of the universal language project, because it is based upon an old criticism by a German professor (Prof. Hamel) of the defunct Volapuk. Why Esperanto should be condemned for the sins of Volapuk is not obvious.

One other useful aspect of Esperanto remains to be mentioned-the establishment of consulships to give linguistic and other a.s.sistance.

Many towns have already their Esperanto consuls, and in a few years there ought to be a haven of refuge for Esperantists abroad nearly everywhere.

The following list of princ.i.p.al Esperanto organs will give some idea of the diffusion of the language. The list makes no pretence of being complete.

Princ.i.p.al general reviews:

_Internacia Scienca Revuo_.

_La Revuo_ (which enjoys the constant collaboration of Dr. Zamenhof).

_Tra la Mondo_. (This review has recently held, by the collaboration of its readers, an international inquiry into education in all countries.

The report is appearing in the February number and following. This is a good example of the sort of international work which can be done for and by readers in every corner of the globe.)

Other organs:

_The British Esperantist_.

_Lingvo Internacia_ (the _doyen_ of Esperanto journals).

_L' Esperantiste_ (France).

_Germana Esperantisto_.

_Eho_ (Germany).

_Svisa Espero_.

_Esperanto_ (Switzerland).

_Juna Esperantisto_ (Switzerland).

_Esperanto_ (Hungary).

_Helpa Lingvo_ (Denmark).

_La Suno Hispana_ (Spain).

_Idealo_ (Sicily).

_La Algera Stelo_ (Algiers: has recently ceased to appear).

_La Belga Sonorilo_ (Belgium).

_Ruslanda Esperantisto_ (Russia).

_Pola Esperantisto_ (Poland).

_Bulgara Esperantisto_ (Bulgaria).

_Lorena Esperantisto_.

_Esperantisten_ (Sweden).