Evening Republican, Volume 16, Number 161, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 July 1912 — Getting Around the Tower of Babel Ray G. Hulburh [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Getting Around the Tower of Babel Ray G. Hulburh

CCORDING to Genesis, all men at one time used the same language. Having nothing to quarrel about, they seem to have been able to accomplish whatever they might undertake, and Jehovah came down and confounded their language, in order to keep them in their proper place. Since that remote time there have been various methods,

more or less successful, of getting around this difficulty. Two millenniums ago Greek was the language of culture throughout the world, though it was not the first international lan-. gnage. Later, through the influence of the church, Latin came to be the common tongue of the educated. In more recent times French has beeh the international language of diplomacy, and, in a restricted field, Pi djin English has served as an international language of trade. Within the past four centuries many projects have been advanced for a purely artificial international language, but none of them proved practicable. A quarter of a century ago a doctor in Poland published a pamphlet describing his plan for an international language, signing it “Dr. Esperanto.” Esperanto, in his new language, signified "one who hopes," and the word came to be used as the name of the language. ( In this limited space one . can do no better than to quote the late Dr. Lloyd, of the University of Liverpool, who said that “when Esperanto is roughly described as a new and artificial language,' there remains a good deal to be said in qualification of both these terms, for there is very little in it which did not exist in some other language before, though often in a less uniform, less exact and less swiftly manageable form. . . . Classified philologlcally, Esperanto is just simplified Aryan, In its modem European, very slightly inflected, form.” The uses of Esperanto in Europe in business and professional affairs has been told in various magazines. It is known that many firms issue.eatgjogues printed wholly in Esperanto, - which are splendid specimens of the printers’ art; that well-illustrated guidebooks have been issued, telling all about certain cities, and even whole regions which are of especial interest to tourists; that there are international

organizations of teachers, of lawyers, of doctors and so forth, and that in most cases each of such societies has a magazine of its own. Possibly it is not so well known that Brazil, some years ago, issued a very sizeable bulletin in Esperanto; that one of the largest railroads in the United States has published a pamphlet in the Bame language, for distribution among Europeans; that the United States bureau of standards carries on foreign correspondence by means of the "Language of Hope;” or that a young man is traveling in Europe, having already visited nearly every country on that continent, lecturing wholly in Esperanto about one of our western states and illustrating his lecture with colored stereopticon views. Another interesting phase of the international language movement is its relation to Christianity. Among the aims of Dr. Samenhof, author of Esperanto, are the abolition of

war and the realization of the Brotherhood of Man. Both of these would be expected to appeal to religious people, and besides, a religion whose field is the world should be attracted by any device which would facilitate intercommunication among its adherents of different races and languages. , There is an extenslxe organization of Esperantist Catholics, which holds an international congress each year. A very creditable monthly magazine, devoted wholly to the interests of Catholicism, is published in Esperanto, besides one or two printed partly in French. Dia Regno is a magazine published in Germany and devoted to the interests of Protestant Christianity among Esperantists. At the annual world congress of Esperantists held at Antwerp, Belgium, last year, there was a conference of Protestant Christians from seven different nations, at which a commission of five members was selected to draft plans for

a permanent organization. America is represented on this commission by a Baptist, the Rev. L. E. Catlin, of Crozer Theological seminary. The New Testament in Esperanto is to be issued in 1912. Several years of work have been put into this enterprise, for the translators feel that this will be the most important version made since the Testament was written in Greek, the international language of two thousand years ago. Work is progressing, also, upon a book of Esperanto hymns with music. A number of collections of hymns without notes are already in use. Leading Christian Endeavorers were among the first in America to take an interest in Esperanto. For years thq Christian Endeavor World published a regular Esperanto department An Esperanto exhibit is a regular feature of the conventions of the United Society of Christian Endeavor, comprising the Endeavorers of the United States and Canada. An extensive Esparanto exposition was provided for the Nebraska Silver Jubilee convention, held at Lincoln last October. This convention, attended by more than 1,200 delegates, was one of the greatest state conventions held in the history of the Christian Endeavor. There were exhibited here a number of letters from prominent people, one of the most interesting being a statement from Helen Keller, the only deef-blind person with a college education, saying that she is Interested in Esperanto and has some books about it Shortly before the'convention, two or three periodicals in Europe published an announcement that Esperanto would have a place on the program, and that messages of greeting

from foreign. Christians or societies would be Relcom* In spite of the lateness of the announcement, the response was good. From Holland came a message in part as follows: “By means of Esperanto I now am able to talk and correspond with Christian brothers and sisters in different lands, although lam only 4 simfple farm laborer.” From England', “I am a Wesleyan minister, hedged in by sickness and age, and cannot take much part in any kind of meetings, but watch with great interest all Christian work in the whole world, especially that in my own country and in the sister republic across the sea.” 1 From Switzerland, “I desire the greatest success for your Christian Endeavor convention, but I regret that the Christians, here at least, do not accept the help which Esperanto would give to them.” From Bohemia, "As a sincere friend of Christian Endeavor, I send the most cordial good wishes, and desire great success for the convention.” A Spaniard sent a bit of verse tolling how God has given us a language, everywhere comprehensible,- by which we may make known the name of Christ to the ends of the earth. A school girl in Hungary sent a picture of an Esperanto group, consisting of fourteen girls and their teacher, with the greetings of all. A Belgian wrotp that he was planning to make a lecture trip among the Y. M. C. A.’s of that country during the

winter, and would be glad to have an account of what was done at the Nebraska convention, to Incorporate In his lecture. There were other messages, from Siberia, Russia, Poland, Norway and Germany. More epoch-making than any of these, however, was a message of greeting sent by order of the Christian conference already described as meeting at the time of the world congress at Antwerp. Besides the exhibits there were two conferences, at which Esperanto experts explained the nature and advantages of the languages, answered questions and dispensed literature. There was also a complete religious service, with hymns, prayers and a sermon—in fact everything usually found in a church service except the collection —held in the city auditorium on Sunday, October 29. A full outline of the order of service was panted in the official program of the convention. In addition the order of service, printed in Esperanto, including the text of the hymns, of the creed, of the . Lord's Prayer and so forth, was furnished each person who attended the service. The same program was printed entire in the morning edition of both of the city's daily papers. Since that time a regular Esperanto department has been established by the officers of the Nebraska Christian Endeavor union, on a par with its Junior, missionary, Christian citizenship and other departments. These Endeavorers believe that Dr. Zamenhof is not mistaken In the belief that a common language will beget common aims and common aspiration, thus leading to universal peace and brotherhood; and they believe that such a state of affairs will help to bring on earth the condition which Jesus of Nazareth had in mind when he spoke of the Kingdom of Heaven.