Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 75.djvu/291

Rh formations upon the letter m: mab, "mankind"; mac, "monkey"; mad, "cat"; maf, "dog"; mag, "bear"; mas, "horse"; me, "bird"; mi, "reptile"; mo, "fish," etc. Quite the opposite of these are the a posteriori languages, based upon the principle of borrowing, selecting and simplifying from already existing languages. This latter method, with a negligible admixture of the a priori, proves the only sound one, and all projects meeting with the slightest favor have been of this class. Among the numerous languages proposed, two alone have succeeded in obtaining any prominence or general publicity. The first of these was Volapük, published in 1880. Societies for its propaganda were organized, some instruction books and several magazines published. The success of the language, in spite of its crudities and too great difficulty, afforded proof that an international language was desired. But dissensions arose, chiefly as to whether numerous proposed changes should be introduced, with or without the consent of the author, who had assumed an unfortunate attitude of ownership of the language. By giving attention to discussion of such matters instead of to propaganda work, the Volapükists lost all they had gained.

Their bitter experience taught a lesson to the promulgators of the only other important project for an international language, the only one which to-day receives general attention. When overzealous theorists proposed changes in Esperanto, and insisted upon the adoption of their "improvements" the great majority of Esperantists refused to countenance any sudden or radical changes, declaring instead for a unity and stability. Their action was the more decisive in that the proposed improvements appealed to them as simply the marring of a language already proved satisfactory and practicable, and already existing as a living language, in which any changes should come gradually and systematically. The smaller restless and theorizing element attempted to create a schism through the use of various publications attacking Esperanto or Esperantists, and arrived at a somewhat unstable idiom of their own, which was called simplified Esperanto by some and a new language by others, among its advocates. A certain amount of newspaper notoriety was obtained in both Europe and America, but no definite or serious results.

The wisdom of the Esperantists as a whole is apparent in the progress due to their steadfastness and united effort. Those who know more or less of the language are reckoned by hundreds of thousands, judging by the number of text-books sold by responsible publishing houses, but the number of persons announced as being in the actual propaganda movement consists only of those who are registered and paying members of some official organization, such as the national associations, British, French, German, Japanese, American, and various international