nmt fiSR«ŝ nsJpRMATION CEifrERr ESPERANTO LEAGUE for NORTH AMERICA NEWSLETTER April, 1968 \ WORLD LABOR ORGANIZATION TRIES ESPERANTO PUBLICATION The International Confederation of Free Trade unions (I.C.F.T.U.) is in process of publishing an Esperanto edition of one of its basic pamphlets, "The I.C.F.T.U.—What It Is, What It Does, How It Works." This world-wide labor organization has a membership of 53,400,000, with 122 affiliates in 94 lands. Victor G. Reuther, director of the International Affairs Department of the United Automobile Workers Union wrote this comment for the Newsletter; Working people of many nations will welcome the decision of the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions to publish informational material relative to the organization in Esperanto. Unions, perhaps more than any other forms of social organiza- tion, can function effectively across cultural barriers only t through a continuous and reciprocal flow of understanding and information. Esperanto, essentially neutral in its cultural- historical connotations, and highly efficient as a code of inter- . national communication, can become a tool of the deepening under- standing between peoples which peace and world amity so desper- ately require. The demand for this Esperanto pamphlet will no doubt determine the future policy of the I.C.F.T.U. toward use of the international language. Trade un- ionists and other E.L.N.A. members who wish to place pre-publication orders or to applaud the I.C.F.T.U. action may write either to the Esperanto Informa- tion Center (156 Fifth Ave., New York, N.Y. 10010) or directly to Morris Paladino, assistant general secretary of the I.C.F.T.U., 3741 Rue Montagne sur Herbes Potageres (and that's no misprint.'), Brussels 1, Belgium. The pamphlet price will be 25 cents. -o- NOMINATIONS FOR THE E.L.N.A. EXECUTIVE BOARD (Ballot enclosed with this issue) Elections to the Executive Board are for one officer, the secretary, and three directors. The Nominating Committee proposes the re-election as secre- tary of Conrad Fisher of Meadville, Pa., who has served in that capacity since 1955. Five candidates are offered for the three directorships. They are Allan Boschen, Pittsfield, Mass.; James Deer, Portland, Ore.; Armin Doneis, Pharr, Tex.; Albert Estling, Walla Walla, Wash.; and Leslie Green, Covina, Calif. (For present board membership, see ballot sheet.) Only paid-up members in good standing are eligible to vote. The Nominating Committee, appointed at the 1967 Congress, included Allan Boschen of Pittsfield, Mass., chairman; Dr. E. J. Lieberman, Washington, D.C.; Mary Murray, Oakland, Calif.; Elfrieda Walters, Chicago; and Margaret Barkley, San Francisco. -2- NL 4/68 THE PRESIDENT REPORTS During the past year I have received several letters commenting on the $8.-00 annual dues for E.L.N.A. Some think that this amount is too high for support of the League; others state that they are not getting enough for their money; and some seem to be against the 1966 dues rise in principle, comparing our national organization to Esperanto organizations in other lands. Is $8.00 (66 cents a month) too high for an organization such as ours? I believe not. First, consider that student membership (under 21) and senior membership (62 and over) are only half that amount. Our $8.00 fee is rela- tively low in comparison with dues of Esperanto organizations and money val- ues in other countries. As an example, the German Esperanto Association full membership dues is about 32 Marks, and the average wage rate in Germany in Marks is about the same as the U.S. wage rate in Dollars (500-600 per month), making our dues equivalent to only about one-fourth those of the Ger- man organization. Dues costs in most other national Esperanto organizations can be compared similarly. In addition, prices of printing, handling, postage, and other necessary items for our operation are much higher here than in any other country. Infla- tion has already leveled out the dues increase to some extent. Although some members complain that E.L.N.A. does not give its members enough, the League functions broadly and has many services. To list a few: AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF ESPERANTO TEACHERS—exam service supported by E.L.N.A. ESPERANTO INFORMATION CENTER, NEW YORK - supported almost entirely by E.L.N.A. ESPERANTO INFORMATION CENTER, WEST COAST - special services paid by E.L.N.A. NEWSLETTER - Appears bimonthly on a regular basis (8 pages). J.E.N. NEWS DIGEST - All E.LJST.A. members receive in alternate months. AUDIO-VISUAL SECTION - Supplies tapes and films to members at low rates. PUBLICITY MATERIALS - Pamphlets and other materials supplied at cost. TRAVELLING EXHIBIT - Available to local groups for shipping costs. CONGRESSES - National congresses annually, supported by E.L.N.A. TEXTBOOK COMMITTEE - Evaluation of manuscripts for a U.S. Esperanto textbook. LIBRARY CAMPAIGN - A study of Esperanto books in U.S. libraries. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR CAMPAIGN - An organized sending of letters to editors of newspapers throughout the country. Besides the foregoing services and activities, the League is responsible for the correlation of information from local groups and international groups, supplies the local groups with names of interested persons, obtains nation- wide publicity which helps local groups expand their activities; answers quer- ies, arranges for articles, speaking tours, radio and TV interviews. For the past two years E.L.N.A. has been able to function effectively without going in the red. Our budget is less than $5,000 a year, and I know of no other organization in this country of a national scope which accomp- lishes as much as we do with a budget as low as ours. The Esperanto League for North America represents the Esperanto commun- ity in the United States and needs the support of all the individuals in that community if it is to succeed in the goal of spreading the use of the Inter- national Language throughout the world. If you are not now a member for 1968, please join now and actively support this work. Francis E. Helmuth (For addresses of these agencies, see "What to Get Where" on Page 4.) ■3- NL 4/68 "THE REVOLT AGAINST ENGLISH" In an article with the above title in the Saturday Review for April 6, Dr. Mario Pei describes a number of "distressing symptoms"—the French re- sentment over the predominance of English at the United Nations which led to a motion backed by 36 other countries? the "giant student demonstration against the use of English that forced Delhi University to close down last December1'* the displacement of English as an official language in new Afri- can nations. Dr. Pei, who is professor of Romance Philology at Columbia University, describes the attitude of smaller countries toward English as an international language in this fashion: "Some derisive comments appeared recently in the American press over the fact that the Italian State Railways, which already uses English, French and German in its official timetables, had decided to add Esperanto. But Esper- anto is a symbol of linguistic independence to many citizens of smaller na- tions, which cannot hope to compete for the post of international language. Their argument runs: 'Why must speakers of languages like English and French always have the advantage bf being able to use their own tongues, while we whose tongue no one bothers to learn, must forever defer to them? Let's have some equality by using a language which is native to nobody and which everyone must make an effort to know.'" In his concluding paragraph, Dr. Pei points out that "nationalism is still abroad in the world, and language is one of nationalism's chief standard- bearers. Rightly or wrongly, English-speakers are accused of not only mili- tary and economic but also cultural and linguistic imperialism. As these ac- cusations mount, the rosy path of international English may acquire a few brambles and briars as yet unsuspected by those who claim that the trend to English is irreversible." A fuller treatment of some of the points covered in the Saturday Review is to be found in the March issue of Praktiko in an article by Mark Starr en- titled "Cu la Uson-Angla Lingvo Farigos la Mondlingvo?" -o- Archivist-Historian Appointed may write Dr. Balcar at 62 A central place of deposit for historical documents, journals, books and other valuable materials has long been one of the needs of the Esperanto move- Dr. B. J. Balcar has now consented to become offi- cial archivist and historian, and E.L.N.A. has underwritten the initial cost of essential equipment. Readers who have material suitable for the archives Via Castanada, Monterey, Calif. 93940. -o- Indiana University Conference A conference on "The Teaching of Esperanto and Its Literature" is being held April 19-21 at the University of Indiana, sponsored by J.E.N., the Esper- anto youth organization, ard the Esperanto Society of the University under the leadership of Duncan Charters. Topics to be covered in papers and work- shops include teaching culture and literature, Esperanto as a language of in- struction and as an introduction to foreign language study, standard pronun- ciation, teaching methods and materials. See the May issue of J.E.N."s News Digest for a report of the conference. NL 4/68 MEMORIAL SERVICES FOR TEODOR SOROS If Teodor Soros (Svarc), a talented pioneer in the Esperanto movement, died at his home in New York on February 22 at the age of 74. He came to the United States in 1956 after the abortive rebellion in Budapest, and was vice president of the New York Society in -i^B^-f If hi Mr. Soros, together with Julio Baghy and K. Kalocsay, played an active part in the famous Budapest school of literature for many years. He edited Literatura Mondo in 1922-26 and 1931-49. The magazine was highly esteemed for its presentation of original songs, poems, plays and translations. Under the pen name of Teo Melas, Soros wrote "Modernaj Robinsonoj" after World War I in which he described the adventures of escaped prisoners of war in the Siberian forests. His "Maskerado Cirkaŭ la Morto" (Stafeto, 1965) recounts with grim humor his successful fight as a Jewish lawyer in Budapest against the Nazis to secure his own survival and that of his family and friends in the terrible years 1939-1945. At the memorial services at the Ethical Culture Church and at the New York Society, all recalled his essential kindness. He is survived by his wife and two sons. The family requested that in lieu of flowers, contribu- tions to the cause of Esperanto should be made. "I Quinto Lingo in its April issue carries an article, "The Case for .Esperanto," by Eskil Svane, which includes quotations from poems in Russian, Italian, German, English, Spanish and French, each with its Esperanto trans- lation in a parallel column. The article presents the arguments for an inter- national language, the unique advantages of Esperanto to fill that role, sta- tistics on the widespread use of the language, and references to the body of literary classics available in Esperanto. Mr. Svane is on the staff of the Danish delegation to the United Nations. Copies of the magazine are available at 50 cents each from Quinto Lingo, Emmaus, Pa. 18049. An edi- torial, "Science Needs a Universal Language," will also be of interest to Esperantists. -o- WHERE TO GET WHAT Examinations in Esperanto proficiency - Am. Assn. of Esperanto Teachers, 1976 Greenview Dr., Fayetteville, Ark. 72701. Esperanto Information Center - 156 Fifth Ave., Rm. 821., New York, N.Y. 10010. Posters, reprints, pamphlets, films. Esperanto Information Center, West Coast - 410 DarrellRd., Hillsborough, Cal. 94010. Specializes in teaching materials and school information. Newsletter - See E.I.C. above. News Digest - 4 Central St., Millers Falls, Mass. 01349. Audio-Visual Aids - H. K. Ver Ploeg, 1908 E. 8th Ave., Spokane, Wash. 99210. (Also E.I.C, N.Y., for 16 mm. movies) Publicity Materials - Both information centers. For quantity orders in the West, Adrian Hughes, 476 S. Bailey Ave., Hillsboro, Ore. 97123. Traveling Exhibit - George Falgier, 3622 H. Market St,, St. Louis, Mo. 63155. For books, records, etc. - write West Coast Esperanto Book Service, 2129 Elizabeth St., San Carlos, Calif. 94070; Esperanto Book Center, 156 Fifth Ave., Rm. 822, N.Y. 10010; Esperanto Library, Middleton, Wis. 53562 . _5- NL 4/68 ROUND THE COUNTRY CALIFORNIA: The International and Language Center of Occidental College and the Esperanto Institute of Southern California sponsored a dinner meeting addressed by Dr. Mario Pei on March 30 at Los Angeles. He dealt with the imperative need for an international language and evaluated Esper- anto's qualifications for that role. (Dr. Pei, who is professor of Romance Philology at Columbia University, is also speaking during April at other Cal- ifornia colleges at Torrance, Santa Clara, Los Angeles, San Mateo, Oakland and Kentfield.) The library of the Esperanto Institute has received 200 books from the valuable collection of Elwyn Pollock. The library was established at Covina as a memorial to the Institute's first president, Charles R. Peterson, who died last year, and Mrs. Peterson has underwritten the acquisition of the Pollock volumes. At St. Helena a new class at the Robert Louis Ste- venson high school is taught by Mrs. Roger Shipe. Program items for the April meeting in San Francisco included a play en- titled "FajroJ Fajro.'" by pupils of Mrs. Gwen Batey who teaches Esperanto at the Knolls Elementary School in San Mateo, a talk on Japan by William Harmon, whose job with a steamship company takes him there frequently, and "Trans Altaj Montoj" from Norda Prismo, a Scandinavian quarterly, read by Robert Bailey. In March the program had a puppet show, "Ĉe la Kafejo" by Mrs. Elva Armento's students at Abbot junior high school. At the Lighthouse for the Blind, students are lapping up Esperanto with the help of Mrs. Emma Graf and Elson Snow. William and Cathie Schulze started them off and they are clamoring for tapes and texts to continue their adventures with the inter- national language. In San Mateo, Edward Feldman, principal of the Meadow Heights school, gave an illustrated talk on his 1966-67 sabbatical travels. FLORIDA: Two Esperanto classes are reported at St. Petersburg, one taught by Rex Bennett at the Junior College arts building and the other by Sidney Tananbaum at the Y.W.C.A. A class is planned for the Southern Florida University at Tampa this month. A licensed teacher is sought for a course in the Adult Education Center at St. Petersburg; qualified teachers should get in touch with Mr. Tananbaum (1935% Burlington Ave., N.). The Esperanto Society of Florida has a dinner meeting twice a month with 30 people participating. ILLINOIS: Esperantists in Chicago met with S. S. Mahant of New Delhi, presi- dent of the Indian Institute of Esperanto. The Society has pur- chased books and magazines for its library and also tapes and discs. Fr. George J. Wuest, S.J., of Loyola University, the Society's president, has a be- ginners class with 15 in attendance; the period is followed by half an hour of Esperanto conversation. He offers to teach a class of children or teenagers during the summer. At the University of Chicago, Jonathan Pool has formed a group with a nucleus of 10 students. David K. Jordan, a graduate student in Anthropology now on a- project in the Republic of China, had an article, "Let Us Speak Esperanto," in a university magazine. The Intellectual, published in Taiwan. The rest of the magazine was in Chinese, including a summary of Jordan's article. MASSACHUSETTS: Employees of General Electric at pittsfield can now absorb Esperanto while they eat. A lunch hour course one day a week geared to half an hour of homework is offered by Allan Boschen, president of the Berkshire Society. -6- NL 4/68 NEW YORK: Eloquent tribute was paid to Teodor Soros at the March meeting of the New York City society. The U.N. Declaration of Human Rights was discussed, emphasizing lingual discrimination, and 20 copies of the Esper- anto edition sold. Irving Shanker described his European travels. The next meeting will be addressed by S. S. Mahant, president of the Indian Institute of Esperanto, and there will be contributions from staff members of the United Nations who are once again running a class taught by Mrs. Thea Kohn. OREGON: Topics for the March meeting were "Esperanto Books and the Esperanto Library" and the movement toward publication of literature of the smaller countries of the world. A credit course in Esperanto will be offered at the University of Portland summer session if 10 or more students register. PENNSYLVANIA: Two students in neighboring towns improbably named Paupack and Lackawaxen ordered "Esperanto for Beginners" from E.L.N.A. Secretary Conrad Fisher, who advised them to get together for study. At the Harrisburg public library, William P. Simpson has a beginners class which meets twice weekly for 12 weeks. He has a continuing exhibit at the library, and had an exhibit at the state library for a month. WASHINGTON: A copy of the first Esperanto book published in Israel (an illus- trated translation of Reuven Kritz' novel "A Refreshing Morning") was exhibited at a recent meeting of the Walla Walla society. A puppet play was presented by Dr. and Mrs. Schwenk and their four children in a puppet theatre constructed by Mrs. Schwenk. -o- Summer Schools Abroad France has an attractive program at Gresilon, with lectures by Esperanto experts throughout the summer. Write E.I.C. for details or Chateau de Gresi- lon, F. 49, Bauge, France. In Czechoslovakia a summer course will be given at Piestany July 7-20 with courses for beginners, intermediates and would-be journalistic writers. Address: Esperanto Rondito en Chirana, Piestany, Vrbovska cesta, Czechoslo- vakia, or write E.I.C. The Esperanto Union of German teachers will hold an educational congress September 20-29 at the Domo Sonnenberg in the Hartz mountains. Lecturers will include Dr. Ivo Lapenna, president of the Universal Esperanto Associa- tion, and G. Becker, its secretary; also Dr. Victor Sadler, editor of Revuo Esperanto, and Dr. Werner Bormann of Hamburg. -o- The Canadian Esperanto Association reports inc with a majority of its members in Quebec. The 10th is slated for Toronto, June 28-30. The C.E.A. publ Lumo, and maintains an extensive book service with the leadership of its president, Lorean OhUginn, th ing work at Expo-67, at the Royal Commission on Bil visit of President Jonas of Austria. E.L.N.A. has lingualism Collection of Documents, and hopes to se at the U.S. Congress in Covina, Calif,, July 11-14. reased membership for 1967 annual Canadian Congress ishes a quarterly journal, nearly 900 books. Under e association did outstand- ingualism, and during the supplied items for the Bi- e Canadian representatives -7- NL 4/68 • m mm The program for the annual E.L.N.A. Congress at Covina, Calif., July 11-14 plus information on meals, housing and travel will be sent to all members in May by the Local Congress Committee. -o- Station WNYC, New York, will tape a program on Esperanto on April 22 with interviews with S. S. Mahant, an Indian railway official of New Delhi who is president of the Indian Institute of Esperanto, and Kim Chong-Youn of Korea, now introducing Esperanto to students at Boiceville, N.Y. as a by- product of his social studies teaching. Mr. Mahant and his wife are in this country on an A.I.D. mission; their first Esperanto appearance was in the San Francisco Bay area. -o- On Station WICU-TV in Erie, Pa., the Bea Canfield show on May 23 will include interviews with Conrad Fisher, E.L.N.A. secretary; Fr. Giles Spoonhour, St. Johns Seminary, Montour Falls, N.Y., and Antony Haydik, a Hungarian Esperantist now living at Youngstown, Ohio. This afternoon pro- gram has a large following, particularly among women, on the Canadian as well as the U.S. side of Lake Erie. Raise Your Sights Armin Doneis, chairman of the E.L.N.A. Membership Committee, makes this appeal to members who have not yet paid their 1968 dues: "If you have let the matter slide, please send your dues in at once. And why not boost your membership to a higher category? For dues of $15 you can become a SUSTAINING MEMBER; if you pay dues of $25 you'll have the distinction of being a PATRON of E.L.N.A. This would give you added satisfaction. "We are losing some of our illustrious, dedicated and financially gener- ous members each year in death. That means that more of our other members need to step into the breach with their generous giving, so that E.L.N.A.'s work may proceed apace and even increase. Won't YOU consider becoming a Sus- taining Member or Patron this year, by supplementing your $8.00 annual dues with the difference? Why not do it immediately before you get sidetracked again? NOW IS THE TIME. Let us all boost E.L.N.A. to greater achievements in 1968 through our generous, continual support. And PROMPTLY.' Set a good example and urge others to follow suit.'" Conrad Fisher, Secretary Esperanto League for North America R.F.D. 1 Meadville, Pa. 16335 I enclose payment for 1963 dues in the category checked below: Regular membership Husband and wife — Student (under 21) - $ 8.00 ___ Sustaining membership — $15.00 12.00 ___ Patron membership--------- 25.00 - 4.00 ____ Additional contribution- ______ Senior Citizen (over 62) ----- #4.00 Name and Address ZIP CODE New membership Renewal -8- NL 4/68 "\ I The Esperanto Book Center in New York and the West Coast Book Service in San Carlos, Calif., are working on a new and expanded booklist to be issued jointly. Meanwhile, Margot Gerson of the E.B.C. asks for patience from some customers for books ordered abroad. With the big ships going on sun-seeking cruises and the increasing use of airmail, overseas surface mail is madden- ingly slow these days. -o- From the Cradle to the Grave via Magazines Fun, a magazine by and for children in the intermediate grades, published an article about the international language written by Carol Longhrom, a 5th grade student at the Woodmere school in Portland. At the other end of the spectrum, Modern Maturity, one of the leading magazines for senior citizens, carries a piece in the April-May issue entitled, "Dr. Zamenhof's invention." Gourmets who read Signature, the Diner's Club publication, will find a short article on Esperanto by Stanley Jacobs in the April issue. -o- The latest Esperanto printing of the United Nations' "Universal Declar- ation of Human Rights" put out by the U.E.A., may be obtained from Conrad Fisher, E.L.N.A. secretary (R.F.D. 1, Calvin St., Meadville, Pa. 16335), by sending a stamped, self-addressed envelope. For one to four copies, send a 6-cent envelope; for six copies, 8 cents; for eight copies, 10 cents, etc. For more than four copies, a legal-size envelope is advisable. Copies are also available from E.I.C. -o- Cecil Goldsmith, president of the Esperanto Publishing Company of London, visited various Esperanto centers in America en route home after a year in Aus- tralia and New Zealand. He spoke to the San Francisco club and visited var- ious schools. In Portland he shared a potluck supper with 20 Esperantists, took part in a conversation class, and visited four public schools. At Middleton, Wis., he was taken in tow by his fellow book dealer, Glen Turner, who arranged for him to speak on two WIBA radio programs and make a tape for the Religion-for-Today Sunday broadcast of the Unitarian church. He also spoke at meetings of the Optimists and Kiwanis clubs. -o- For a descriptive list of films suitable for programs on the Internation- al Year for Human Rights, write to the United Nations Office of Public Inform- ation, Radio and Visual Services, United Nations, N.Y. 10017. ^iH&b INFORMATION CENTM (f^% ESPERANTO LEAGUE k* NORTH AMERICA %*?~fP 156 Fifth Avenue, Now Yoric, N.Y. 10010 FIRST CLASS LA ELNA ESPERANTO-KONGRESO OVif/A, 11-14.VII.68 COVINA, CALIFORNIA