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Malnova NYTimes pri Esperanto

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Dum multaj jaroj, por vidi malnovajn artikolojn ĉe la NYTimes, necesis pagi (ofte sufiĉe altajn prezojn), sed ne plu. Nun eblas traserĉi la tutan ĵurnalon ekde la komencigxo (en 1851) ĝis hodiaŭ senkoste. Mi serĉis na "Esperanto" kaj trovis 1012 rezultojn. Kelkaj fruaj (antaŭ 1887) estis verŝajne miskodigoj de aliaj similaj vortoj, do la unua, kiu vere estis pri Esperanto, estis tiu ĉi de 1897: Personal. Kelkajn elĉerpaĵojn oni legu sube.

In a well-written little pamphlet that comes all the way from Grodno, Russia, somebody named L.Samenhof reveals that he, like so many other people, has been worrying about the world's need for a universal language. Incidentally, he also reveals that he has invented a new language called "Esperanto". [...] At any rate, the scheme [a scheme to get people to vote for languages] has interesting features. If it is carried out and if the majority of participants cast their ballots in favor of English as the world's language for science and commerce, the adoption of that tongue for those purposes, which is inevitable anyway, may be appreciably hastened.

En la angla oni diras "Ju pli aferoj ŝanĝiĝas, des pli ili restas samaj."

A scream

I've been reading some more of these -- they're a SCREAM, although the message of the press with respect to Esperanto really hasn't changed one bit since the very first mention in 1897.

I liked this one from 1903: "To the Editor of the New York Times: In a recent communication we read: "While Shakespeare in his Esperanto dress is better than Shakespeare in a French Dress." OK. It doesn't directly mock Esperanto, but it was still desparaging.

This one from 1902 was good too: "The opening up to trade of remote regions and the extension of civilization among barbarous people have called the attention of scientists to the need of a universal language. [...] Volapuk was the most practicable artificial language. [...] The trouble was that Volapuk was from 50 to a hundred years ahead of its age." If Volapuk was a hundred years ahead of its time, I shudder to think how far Esperanto was ahead of its time.

--
Steven BREWER

  • By limako at 2008-02-25 23:59
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Esperanto Society Gives Up on Esperanto

A few days ago I stumbled upon a Times article from November 10, 1908 about the New York Esperanto Society.

According to the Times report, the Esperanto Society was falling apart because members had decided that Esperanto was "full of defects," and was just as bad as its predecesser, Volapuk.

Some guy named the Marquis de Beaufront had devised a language called Elo (sic!), which was much superior to Esperanto, and a whole gang of people was taking up the cudgel for Elo.

A hoot and a half.

  • By Allan Fineberg at 2008-02-29 17:37
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