SIR JOSEPH WARD—ESPERANTIST.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXVII, Issue 3733, 18 December 1906, Page 2

SIR JOSEPH WARD—ESPERANTIST.

Among the much advice tendered by the Premier lately two items widely differing may be mentioned. The Premier wants to keep the yellow man out of New Zealand and to bring the alleged universal language ‘Esperanto’ in. We are heart and soul with the Premier in keeping out the yellow man, but can’t say we are enamoured of the Esperanto idea. The new language is a combination of the most-used languages and the average person who reads or has learnt a little could recognise many of the words. Also many of- them would convey the necessary notion to the mind of the reader. There doesn’t seem to be much need for the Englishspeaking person to learn Esperanto. English is taught all over the world as a necessity seeing that the Anglo-Saxon is such a wanderer —and a plunderer —that he sets up his standards of life and language everywhere. To make Esperanto the medium of exchange of Ideas between ’European nations would be to allow the study of the languages now used to fall into disuse in order that a barbarous mongrel language instituted by a few cranks should be used. The idea to teach the language in New Zealand is a bad one. New Zealanders are falling into the habit of speaking English as badly as the average Englishman, Sir Joseph Ward’s linguistic attainments although excellent are not perfect. We remember hearing him repeatedly refer to a German visitor who was being entertained as,“Mr” Herr . Might

as well call a French celebrity Monsieur Esquire Falieres. Esperanto is a barbarity and ought not to be countenanced in New Zealand even though the Premier learns it and fires off speeches in the House in it. If the study of the ordinary plain English tongue with perhaps a knowledge of the language of diplomacy—French—isn’t good enough for the New Zealander, the weird unnecessary Esperanto also isn’t good enough. Out on it for an atrocity !