five or six years ago England shot ahead of France, and then suddenly
Germany took it up, and now I think Germany is ahead of all the other
countries in the practical use of Esperanto. But it is making good
progress everywhere--in France, in England, in Denmark, in Bulgaria, in
Spain, in South America, in Germany, in India, in China, and in Japan.
In Germany the authorities and scientific people have very strongly
espoused Esperanto. For instance, the Government of Saxony sustains
financially an Esperanto institute in Dresden, and that does a great
deal of good work. The Government of Saxony is also a large contributor
to an Esperanto library, which is the biggest in the world, as yet.
And in many towns in Spain, in Germany, and in France, especially in
France, whenever an Esperanto lecturer goes into a town he gets a
stipend from the town; the town pays out of the city funds the expenses
of his propaganda, or partly pays them; they contribute 50 or 100
francs, and frequently more, according to the size of the place. That
is the practice in many places in other countries besides France, but
especially in France. Even the Russian Government gives financial aid to
Esperanto propaganda.

The CHAIRMAN. As I understand it, this is not supposed to be a universal
language?

Prof. CHRISTEN. No; an international language.

The CHAIRMAN. But at the same time it is a language in which all the
universe can meet upon a common plane and converse?

Prof. CHRISTEN. That is the intention, to give the whole of the
civilized world one and the same secondary language.