Page:Travel letters from New Zealand, Australia and Africa (1913).djvu/422

 —We crossed the equator at noon today, and are once more in our proper hemisphere. There were no exercises; usually the sailors engage in foolishness, and scare those who have not crossed before, by threatening to duck them in the swimming-tank. There is not a great deal of foolishness on German ships; on the English ships, so much is made of sports that many passengers seriously object. I selected a German ship instead of an English because I was thoroughly disgusted with the Sports Committee on the "Anchises." Every hour of the day, almost, on the "Anchises," a boy went about beating a gong, to announce another meeting of the Sports Committee, which arranged for potato races, sack races, and other silly performances. Nothing of that kind on the "Burgermeister;" the passengers are genteel and quiet, and let each other alone The English universally speak of the tomato as "tomahto." If that pronunciation is correct, why do they speak of the potato as "potayto?" If "tomahto" is a correct pronunciation, "potahto" is also better than "potayto." I notice that nearly everyone speaks a little English. We have on board Germans, Russians, Portuguese, Chinese, Belgians, French, Arabs, Hindus, and Kaffirs, and all of them speak English, more or less. English will soon become the universal language; there is no need of Esperanto, a language I have never heard of anyone speaking. A band of reformers are urging that all races learn Esperanto, in order that all men may have a common language, but Esperanto is not making much progress Owing to the crowd in the dining-room, my bath-room stew