International Language | Page 3

for dealing with the question, and the
present moment propitious for solving the problem once for all in an
orderly way. The merest glance at the list of projects for a universal
language[1] and their dates will strengthen the conviction from an
historical point of view that the fulness of time is accomplished, while

the history of the rise and fall of Volapük and of the extraordinary rise
of Esperanto, in spite of its precursor's failure, are exceedingly
significant.
[1]See pp. 78-87. [
Part II, Chapter II]
One language has been born, come to maturity, and died of dissension,
and the world stood by indifferent. Another is now in the first full flush
of youth and strength. After twenty-nine years of daily developing
cosmopolitanism--years that have witnessed the rising of a new star in
the East and an uninterrupted growth of interchange of ideas between
the nations of the earth, whether in politics, literature, or science,
without a single check to the ever-rising tide of internationalism--are
we again to let the favourable moment pass unused, just for want of
making up our minds? At present one language holds the field. It is
well organized; it has abundant enthusiastic partisans accustomed to
communicate and transact their common business in it, and only too
anxious to show the way to others. If it be not officially adopted and
put under the regulation of a duly constituted international authority, it
may wither away or split into factions as Volapük did.[1] Or it may
continue to grow and flourish, but others of its numerous rivals may
secure adherents and dispute its claim. This would be even worse. It is
far harder to rally a multitude of conflicting rivals in the same camp,
than it is to take over a well-organized, homogeneous, and efficient
volunteer force, legalize its position, and raise it to the status of a
regular army. In any case, if no concerted action be taken, the question
will remain in a state of chaos, and the lack of official organization
brings a great risk of overlapping, dissension, and creation of rival
interests, and generally produces a state of affairs calculated to
postpone indefinitely the supply of the demand. Competition that
neither tends to keep down the price nor to improve the quality of the
thing produced is mere dissipation of energy.
[1]Esperanto itself is admirably organized (see p. 119) [

Part II,

Chapter VII
], and there are no factions or symptoms of dissension. But Esperantists
need official support and recognition.
In a word, the one thing needful at present is not a more highly
perfected language to adopt, but the adoption of the highly perfected
one we possess. By the admission of experts, no less than by the
practical experience of great numbers of persons in using it over a
number of years, it has been found adequate. Once found adequate, its
absolute utility merely depends upon universal adoption.
With utility in direct proportion to numbers of adherents, every recruit
augments its value--a thought which may well encourage waverers to
make the slight effort necessary to at any rate learn to read it.
II
THE QUESTION OF PRINCIPLE--ECONOMIC ADVANTAGE OF
AN INTERNATIONAL LANGUAGE
As stated above, the question of principle will be treated here from a
purely economical point of view, since practical value, measured by
saving of time, money, and effort, must be the ultimate criterion by
which the success or failure of so far-reaching a reform as the
introduction of an international, auxiliary language will be decided.
The bearing of such a reform upon education, culture, race supremacy,
etc., is not without importance; but the discussion of these points must
be postponed as subsidiary.
Reduced to its simplest form, the economical argument is this:
(1) The volume of international intercourse is great and increasing.

(2) This intercourse is at present carried on in many different languages
of varying degrees of difficulty, but all relatively hard of acquisition for
those who do not know them as a mother-tongue. This is
uneconomical.
(3) It is economically sounder to carry on international intercourse in
one easy language than in a large number of hard ones.
(4) Therefore in principle an easy international language is desirable.
Let us glance at these four points a little more in detail.
No. 1 surely needs no demonstration. Every year there is more
communication between men of different race and language. And it is
not business, in the narrow sense of the term, that is exclusively or even
chiefly affected by diversity of language. Besides the enormous bulk of
pleasure travel, international congresses are growing in number and
importance; municipal fraternization is the latest fashion, and many a
worthy alderman, touring at the ratepayers' expense, must wish that he
had some German in Berlin, or a little Italian in