Kunvenintajn Esperantistojn

They hung a green flag with a green star in a white square in the Louis XVI room of Manhattan's Hotel Manger last week. About 150 delegates gathered there and chatted in a language which no bellboy, waiter, clerk could understand. The men wore green neckties, the women green enamel stars. It was the 22nd annual congress of the Esperanto Association of North America, the organization for fostering and teaching the "universal lan-guage" which "promises sacred peace."

From the roots of many languages was Esperanto-- evolved by a Polish physician, Lazaro Ludovico Zamenhof, whose pensive, bearded face done in oils looked down upon the convening Esperantists last week. Esperanto sounds like an Italian or Spanish patois.

The foregoing paragraph, translated into Esperanto reads as follows:

El la radikoj de multaj lingvoj Eperanto evoluigis per la laboro de pola kuracisto Doktoro Lazaro Ludovico Zamenhof kied pensema barbita vizago en olenpentrita portreto malsupren rigardis la kunvenin-tajn Esperantistojn la pasintan semajnon. Esperanto sonas kiel ia itala au hispana dialekto.

Most famed of universal languages is Esperanto. Its lineal forefather was Vola-piik, an artificial tongue which appeared in 1880, seven years before the birth of Esperanto, which has now supplanted it. Its lineal descendent is Idiom Neutral, a less arbitrary, more scientifically-begotten language. Sage, the Esperantists have never altered a word or construction of their tongue. To do so would admit national peculiarities, dissension. Last week in the Hotel Manger they spoke the same Esperanto as that which first issued from the lips of Founder Zamenhof.

The Esperantist green is symbolic of springtime hope. Their five-pointed star represents the five continents. In 1905, Esperantists conducted their first small international congress in Boulogne. Last year 1,500 persons representing 39 countries, attended the international congress in Antwerp. This year's international congress will be in August at Budapest. Most Esperantists live in Germany, France next, Czechoslovakia is third,* England fourth. Most U. S. Esperantists live in Manhattan.

The little gentleman with the white hair, the gavel, and of course the green necktie, who called the meetings to order last week, was Henry William Hetzel, President of the Esperanto Association of North America. He is a West Philadelphia high school teacher, twice appointed by Pennsylvania's delegate to international congresses (Cracow, 1912, Paris, 1914).

More than 22 years ago a friend of Esperantist Hetzel who was "more linguistic than humanitarian" saw a book on Esperanto, purchased it, studied it, wrote a letter in Esperanto to Friend Hetzel. Mr. Hetzel, already familiar with Volapiik, became fired with Esperantist enthusiasm. Other Hetzel enthusiasms: economic reforms, mechanical drawing (which he teaches), single tax plans (one of which is in force in Arden, Del., where the Hetzel summers are spent with many another Esperantist), composing melodies (his latest, Foaming Beer, was much sung at last week's convention).

By several romances has Esperanto proved its worth. Last year in Antwerp, for example, one Charles Chomette, a Frenchman who now lives in the U. S., met a pretty Flemish girl. French was theirs and English but neither spoke both fluently. They spoke, he wooed, in Esperanto. Now they are married, still speak Esperanto to each other.

Mrs. Chomette and Mr. Hetzel next week will make the world's first all-Espe-ranto "talkie" for Paramount-Famous-Lasky. The cinema will last three minutes. The plot: two strangers pass each other, recognize their Esperanto badges, speak rapid, polite Esperanto to each other. The film is destined for European audiences only. But since today's great U. S. cinema problem is how to sell "talkies" in foreign countries, Esperantists hopefully predict that their tongue will become an international trade-key.

Brachiopod

Criticism of U. S. teachers came last week from Dr. Henry Sloane Coffin, president of Union Theological Seminary, addressing the annual convocation of summer students at Columbia University. Said Dr. Coffin: ". . . Brachiopod teachers are at fault. Brachiopods are mollusk-like creatures, the most ancient inhabitants of this planet, which have always reproduced their own species, but never had any part in the evolution of other living creatures. . . . There are brachiopod teachers who transmit their own minds but do not stimulate students to advance human knowledge.

* Esperanto is pronounced as spelt, with the accent on the antipenult. The "i" is pronounced "ee;" accent-marked consonants are aspirated. --After Sept. 1, teaching of English will be compulsory in all Czechoslovak schools. German is already compulsory.