INTERNATIONAL SPEECH 165 



" Fat obas, kel binol in siils, paisaludomoz nem ola ! Komomod 

 monargan ola ! Jenomoz vil olik, as in sill, i su tal ! Bodi obsik 

 vadeliki givelos obes adelo! E pardolos obes debis obsik, as id obs 

 aipardobs debeles obas. E no obis nindukolos in tentadi; sod aida- 

 livolos obis de bad. Jenosod." 



Note: Simple vowels with continental pronunciation; Umlauts 

 as in German; consonants as in English, except c (tch), g (always 

 hard), h (German ch), j (French ch), x (always ks), y (as in yoke), 

 z (ts) ; tonic accent always on the last syllable of the word. 



The second successful attempt at devising an international form of 

 speech found issue in Esperanto, now apparently past the experimental 

 working stage, and seemingly launched upon a rising tide of popu- 

 larity and success. Some 100,000 people are now said to be able to 

 correspond in Esperanto, and a large number of these speak it fluently. 

 The number of the Esperanto groups seems to be increasing by leaps 

 and bounds, and is placed at about three hundred thus far, distrib- 

 uted over all the four quarters of the globe. The propaganda has 

 even reached Japan, which has fifteen hundred Esperantists, and a 

 journal published in Japanese and Esperanto, and the very latest 

 move appears to be the proposed invasion of China. In all about 

 twenty journals are devoted to Esperanto, the organs of affiliated 

 societies in each of the chief European states and in America. Seven 

 magazines are published exclusively in the language, including some 

 quite pretentious literary, illustrated and scientific monthlies. The 

 London Chamber of Commerce has adopted Esperanto as a commercial 

 tongue, and has organized classes and examinations in the language. 

 Commercial schools in England, France, Germany and Sweden are 

 offering courses, and in America, voluntary classes have been insti- 

 tuted in a number of our high schools and universities. In France, 

 the language has received the approbation of the minister of war and 

 marine, who commends it to the French military service. Finally, 

 Esperanto has received the unqualified and enthusiastic endorsement 

 and support of men eminent in language studies, the sciences and the 

 arts, in every important country. Among these may be cited the late 

 Professor Max Miiller, of Oxford, and among living Englishmen, 

 Professor W. W. Skeat and Sir William Eamsay; in Germany, the 

 great name of Ostwald stands first, while in France the language 

 seems to be enjoying among the intellectual elite a veritable reclame. 

 Academicians, university professors, professional men, are flocking in 

 imposing numbers to the ranks of the wearers of la verda stelo. 

 Berthelot, Poincare, Boirac, rector of the University of Dijon ; General 

 Sebert of the French army, indicate the personnel of the Esperanto 

 movement in France, while in far Russia, rears the titanic figure of 

 Count Leo Tolstoi, friend of humanity, as the champion of Esperanto 

 in the name of universal peace and good-will among mankind. 



