Dear Readers, Greeting!

The Esperantist! What is the signification of this word? Naturally it must be (1) One who learns and uses Esperanto; (2) This little Gazette printed in the same language.

And what is Esperanto? It is that which our good chief, Dr. Zamenhof, gave to the world after he had studied many European languages.

Therefore should we be justified in introducing our own "improvements" into the language? And could this Gazette rightly call itself The Esperantist if in it were printed any change not approved of by the author of the language? Certainly not.

On the fifty-ninth page, in the February Number, we saw some of the causes which prove that accents greatly hinder our progress; and it was also announced that Dr. Zamenhof approves of the use of the letter H instead of the accent.

This certainly is both ingenious and adequate, nevertheless it apparently does not please some of our English students. Entirely forgetting that when one is learning any language one must begin at the alphabet, they imagine that the Esperanto consonants must be in accordance with the English usage. Apparently our friends in other lands are not considered.

I believe that we in England will rightly approve of using GH, HH, JH, for their sounds are easily remembered. And I also believe that the Italians will not justly disapprove of CH and GH, although their sounds are quite different from the Italian usage.

As a few students continue writing about these accents, I send this letter to you to-day. And, as you are true Esperantists, you will carefully consider the subject, and will be so kind as to send me, by postcard, your opinions before April 10, 1904.

The majority of us in England (perhaps in the whole world) have ever cried out against the accents. "Away with them" is the cry of many a fervent helper. To settle this question, you, dear Esperantists, can choose between these two proposals:—

(1). Shall The Esperantist be printed without accented letters, but by CH, GH, HH, JH, SH?

(2). Shall it be printed with accents Ĉ, Ĝ, Ĥ, Ĵ, Ŝ as heretofore?

I beg all readers who prefer the first of these proposals to write me a postcard containing the words "I believe the use of accents hinders the universal adoption of Esperanto as an international language."

Then, if I receive a sufficient number of these postcards, your wish shall be carried out, and you will no longer see accents in The Esperantist.

Probably the majority of readers have already learned that our most fervent supporter, Mr. W. T. Stead, has been taken ill, and has gone to South Africa. Naturally all Esperantists unanimously send him most hearty good wishes for a very speedy recovery, and hope that ere long he will be able to renew his ceaseless labour for the betterment of mankind. At present he has paid the penalty of too much enthusiasm, for he has tried to do more than is possible.

The Esperanto Library has become further enlarged by the addition of the three following books:—

(1). Vojaĝo interne de mia ĉambro (fifty-eight pages) is a capital translation from the French of Xavier de Maistre. The translator, M. S. Meyer, has succeeded in his purpose, and has given us a most able and correct translation of that interesting work.

(2). Advokato Patelin (forty-two pages) is a three-act prose comedy by Brueys and Palaprat. Esperanto version by M. J. Evrot. Its contents are very interesting and humorous, and all Esperantists will enjoy a good laugh when reading it. Let us congratulate M. Evrot on the good theme he has selected, and let us hope that before long the comedy will appear in an Esperanto theatre, in accordance with Dr. Zamenhof’s wish. The reading of plays is a great help to the conversational use of the language.

(3). Thirty-six selected fables of La Fontaine, translated by M. Vaillant, are very suitable for reading exercises, as we already know the English versions. Our Readers have already seen specimens of fables in Esperanto, and it is to be hoped that this collection will give pleasure.

We congratulate the three authors, and hope that they will soon write other (possibly original) works.

All are to be had from the Librarian, London Esperanto Club, 41, Outer Temple, W.C. Cost 1/- each.

We announce with pleasure that the long-awaited Dictionaries have now appeared, and have greatly pleased our friends. We hope, now that one has dictionaries, that many more Esperantists will be so kind as to send us articles. Otherwise The Esperantist cannot contain sufficient interesting matter to continue to gain the approval of its world-wide Subscribers.


