A few words as to the origin of Esperanto will perhaps not be out
of place here. The author of the language, Dr. Ludovic Zamenhof, a
Polish Jew, was born on December 3rd, 1859, at Bielovstok, in Poland,
a town whose inhabitants are of four distinct races, Poles, Russians,
Germans, and Jews, each with their own language and customs, and
often at open enmity with each other. Taught at home that all men are
brethren, Zamenhof found everywhere around him outside the denial of
this teaching, and even as a child came to the conclusion that the races
hated, because they could not understand, each other. Feeling keenly,
too, the disabilities under which his people specially laboured, being
cut off by their language from the people among whom they lived, while
too proud to learn the language of their persecutors, he set himself to
invent a language which should be neutral and therefore not require any
sacrifice of pride on the part of any race.
Interesting as is the story of Zamenhof's attempts and difficulties, it
must suffice here to say that at the end of 1878 the new language was
sufficiently advanced for him to impart it to schoolfellows like-minded
with himself, and on December 17th of that year they feted its birth,
and sang a hymn in the new language, celebrating the reign of unity and
peace which should be brought about by its means, "All mankind must
be united in one family." But the enthusiasm of its first followers
died down under the derision they encountered, and for nine years more
Zamenhof worked in secret at his language, translating, composing,
writing original articles, improving, polishing, till in 1887 he
published his first book under the title of "An International Language
by Dr. Esperanto." ("Esperanto" means "one who hopes").
That the idea which impelled the young Zamenhof to undertake such a work
is still the mainspring of his devotion to the cause is shown by the
following extract from his opening speech at the second International
Esperanto Congress in 1906:--"We are all conscious that it is not
the thought of its practical utility which inspires us to work for
Esperanto, but only the thought of the important and holy idea which
underlies an international language. This idea, you all know, is that
of: brotherhood and justice among all peoples." And, again, in his
presidential address at the third Esperanto Congress, held this year
(1907) at Cambridge, he said, "We are constantly repeating that we do
not wish to interfere in the internal life of the nations, but only to
build a bridge between the peoples. The ideal aim of Esperantists, never
until now exactly formulated, but always clearly felt, is: To establish
a neutral foundation, on which the various races of mankind may hold
peaceful, brotherly intercourse, without intruding on each other their
racial differences."
Sur neuxtrala lingva fundamento,
Komprenante unu la alian,
La popoloj faros en konsento
Unu grandan rondon familian.
(On the foundation of a neutral language,
Understanding one another,
The peoples will form in agreement
One great family circle).