ESPERANTO

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 1, Issue 16, 10 September 1931, Page 5

ESPERANTO

T. E.

McMILLAN.

Sir, — ■' The report in the "Post*' of the address to the Rotorua Rotary Club by M. Joseph Major, a yisiting French journalist, provided very good reading for people interested in the ques•tion of an international language, or even ih anything international. New Zealand ?is somewhat isolated from the great centres of thought and learning; on the outer fringe, as it were, and therefore rather arid ground for the cultivation of things intellectual and international. The movement, however, has made some progress here, as mentioned in your report, and will doubtless make more when the aftermath of what is now going ori in older lands reaches us. When in Franee during the Great War I made an experiment, just by way of curiosity, to see whether the little I had learnt pf this simple language, Esperanto, could be used effeetively in writing. (As there was a war on, and I was, unfortunately, in it, I could not arrange for personal and oral contact). However, through an Esperanto journal I got in communication with a French lady student who had advertised for a correspondent. I wrote to her, telling her about various features of New Zealand, including particularly a description of the thermal wonders of Rotorua. When the reply came to hand it was easy to see that my eorrespondent had understood perfeetly the references to the geysers, and the vanished glory of the Pink and White Terraces. On my part there was no difficulty whatever in understanding her letter, which told of the. region in France where she lived, its productions and natural charms. There is certainly a great future' for Esperanto, which bids fair to banish Babel. — I am, etc.

matamata, sept. », 1931.