542 Professor F. G. Donnan [March 24, 



from the roots by means of the derivative affixes, and a better choice 

 of the latter. 



5. Certain changes in the grammar, such as the dropping of the 

 accusative inflexion, except where it is required to prevent ambiguity ; 

 the dropping of the inflexional plural for adjectives ; certain changes 

 in the verb such as the infinitive in -ar, instead of -i, and the 

 introduction of a synthetic passive form ; the plural of nouns formed 

 by -i, instead of -oj ; etc. 



In its basic ideas Ido is a language of the same type as Esperanto. 

 It is a great pity that all parties could not have combined at an early 

 stage in the development of Ido. I shall not, however, enter into 

 any details or express any opinion here concerning the very bitter 

 mutual hostility which arose. It was very human, and one can 

 understand the reasons. After all, the stability of society depends 

 on the existence of Conservatives as well as Liberals. Perhaps in 

 this instance the worthy Conservatives mistook the good Liberals 

 for anarchists. That is not an unknown phenomenon in very exalted 

 circles. 



If I may be allowed a personal opinion, I will say that most, if 

 not all, of the Ido improvements appeal to me very strongly. If we 

 are to choose a language of the Esperanto type, and if the choice 

 lies only between Esperanto and Ido, I would choose Ido. I do not 

 say this for any propagandist purposes, and I say it with a full 

 appreciation of the splendid early work of Dr. Zamenhof. But at 

 the same time, I have an equally great admiration for the splendid 

 later work of Professor Couturat and his collaborators. 



As you will wish to see some samples of Ido here is the Lord's 

 Prayer in that language : — 



" Patro nia, qua esas en la cielo, tua nomo santigesez ; tua regno 

 advenez ; tua volo facesez, quale en la cielo, tale anke sur la tero. 

 Donez a ni cadie l'omnidiala pano ; e pardonez a ni nia ofensi, quale 

 anke ni pardonas a nia ofensanti ; e ne duktez ni aden la tento, ma 

 liberigez ni del malajo. Nam tua esas la regno, la povo e la glorio 

 eterne. Amen." 



Here is another specimen, translated from " The Laws of Habit," 

 of Professor "W. James. 



La Legi dil Kustumo. 



" Me kredas ke ni esas submisata a la lego dil kustumo per konsequo 

 dil fakto ke ni havas korpi. La plastikeso di la vivanta materyo di nia 

 nerva sistemo esas, abreje, la kauzo ke ni facas un kozo malfacile la 

 unesma foyo, sed balde plu e plu facile, e fine, kun suficanta pratiko, ni 

 facas ol mimekanike, e kun preske nula koncio." 



Professor Couturat has done a great deal of fine work in con- 

 ferring on Ido a very logical system of autonomous word-formation 

 from the root- words by means of a well-chose-i system of derivative 



