Essence and future of an international language part 3
III
Now we will pass on to the second question : " Is an international language possible?" As to this, again, no unprejudiced person can doubt even for a minute; for not only no facts exist, not even the smallest, which would argue against such a possibility, but also there do not exist even the most trifling causes which would make anyone doubt, even for a minute, as to such a possibility. Certainly there are persons who, with scientific cock-sureness, make it appear that language is a thing natural, organic, depending upon special physiological qualities of the organs of speech of the different nations, upon climate, heredity, crossing of races, historical conditions and so forthy. And, to the crowd, such learned talk is very imposing, especially if it is to a sufficient extent interwoven with various quotations and occult technical terminology. But a man of learning, who has the courage of his own judgment, knows well that all this is mere empty pseudo-scientific chatter, which has no sense, and which could very easily be refuted by the first encountered child. Why, we all know well from our common knowledge that if we take a child from any country or nation, and bring it up from the day of its birth among persons of a nation totally foreign and even antipodal, it will speak in the language of that nation just as well and purely as any native-born son of that nation. If it is usually difficult for a grown-up person to learn a strange language, this by no means results from the construction of his organs of speech, but simply from the fact that he has not the patience, the time, the teachers, the means or so forth. This same grown-up person would have met with precisely the same difficulties in learning his native tongue, if, in his infancy, he had not been educated in this language, but had had to learn it by the help of lessons. As it is, every man of learning, even now, must learn several foreign languages ; and he certainly does not choose those languages which seem suited to his organs of speech, but only those which he requires; consequently there is nothing impossible in this, that, instead of everyone learning various languages, all should acquire one and the same language, and thus be able to understand each other. Even if every one should not possess the commonly accepted language in full perfection, still the question of international language would be settled ; and men would no longer stand like deaf mutes in the presence of one another. And we must remember that if it were everywhere known that for the purpose of world-wide communication it was only necessary to acquire one language, then everywhere there would exist a multitude of good teachers of this language, and of special schools; everyone would learn this language with the greatest willingness and enthusiasm ; and finally, all parents would accustom their children to this language in their infancy, concurrently with their native tongue. So that, leaving on one side, for the present, the question as to whether people will choose some one language for the international role, and whether they will succeed in arriving at an agreement with regard to this choice, we in the meantime establish the fact, which without any doubt follows from all that we have said above, namely, that the mere existence of an international language is quite possible. Carefully record, then, in your memory these two undoubted conclusions at which we have so far arrived, viz. : -
1. An international language would afford immense advantage to the human race;
2. The existence of an international language is quite possible.
IV
Will an international language ever be introduced? If we have come to the conclusion that an international language would afford immense advantage, and that its existence is possible, then from these two conclusions this other naturally flows, that such a language will, sooner or later, inevitably be introduced ; for else we must deny to humanity the existence of the most elementary intelligence. If a language capable of fullfilling the international role were hitherto non-existent, but had still to he created, then a reply to this question put. at the head of this chapter would be inconclusive : for it would be still unknown whether anyone could create such a language. But we know that very many languages exist,and that any one of them could be adopted, in case of need, as international, but with the distinction that one of them would be more suitable for this end, and another less. Consequently we have everything ready, and we only need to form the wish and to make the choice, -and in such a case the reply to the question above put can no longer be doubtful. Man lives a conscious life, and incessantly aims for his own good : consequently if we know that such or such a matter promises to mankind an enormous and undoubted advantage, and that it is within reach, we can always confidently predict that, from the moment when men give their attention to the matter, they will ever pertinaciously strive more and more towards it, and will not cease their endeavour until they attain their end. If two groups of men are separated one from the other by a stream, but know that it would be greatly to their advantage to get into mutual communication, and they see that planks for the connection of the two banks lie quite ready to their hands, then one need not be a prophet to foresee with complete certainty that sooner or later a plank will be thrown across the stream, and communication will be established. It is true that some time usually passes in hesitation, and this hesitation is usually brought about under the most senseless pretexts : wiseacres say that the attempt to establish communication is childish, as it is no one's occupation to put planks across streams, and it is a. thing that "people don't do." Men of experience say that those who went before them did not put planks across streams, consequently it is a utopian scheme ; learned men prove that communication can only be a natural affair, that the human organism cannot move on planks, and so forth. Nevertheless, sooner or later, a plank is put across, and communication is established. Thus it is with every useful idea, thus with every useful invention ; as soon as the unprejudiced men come to the undoubted conclusion that the said thing is very useful and at the same time practicable, they have known with perfect conviction beforehand that sooner or later, come what may, the thing will be accepted, in spite of all opposition on the part of routinists ; for this is ensured, not only by the natural intelligence of mankind but also by its drift towards practical good and profit. Thus it will also be with the international language. During many centuries, men, not being in great need of an international language, did not entertain the question ; but now, when the increased communication bet:ween men has turned their attention to this question ; now, when people have begun to be convinced that an international language will bring them enormous benefit, and that it is attainable, they will doubtless aim at it ever more and more : its necessity will become every day more palpable to them, and they will no longe rest satisfied until the question is solved. Can you doubt this? Certainly not ! When this will come it is not our present intention to predict : it may come in a year, or in ten years, in a hundred years, or even after several centuries ; but one thing is quite certain, that however much the first pioneers of this idea will have to endure, and even if this idea should relapse into slumber many times and for whole decades, it will die no more : ever more often and more insistently will sound voices demanding the introduction of an international language; and in the end, sooner or later --if the question is not solved by society itself-- the governments of all countries will have to yield, to arrange an international congress and choose some one language as international. In this there can only be a question of the time : some of you will say that it will come very soon, others will say that it will come only in the far distant future; but that this event as a whole will come at some time, and that mankind, seeing, the immense utility and at the same time the feasibility of an international language, will not for ever remain indifferent to the affair, a mere herd of helpless creatures not understanding one another --of this certainly no one of you doubts even for a minute. We ask you then to note in your memory the third conclusion to which we have come, namely
"Sooner or later an international language will of a certainty be introduced"
Here we shall make a short pause, and say a few words about ourselves, the combatants for the idea of an international language. From all that we have proved, you see that. we are by no means such faddists and utopians as many of you may have supposed us, and as many newspapers depict. us, not caring to enter into the nature of that for which we are contending. You see that we are striving for a thing that. will confer immense benefit on mankind, and which sooner or later must, needs to attained. Therefore every reasoning person may boldly join us, not fearing the ridicule of a foolish and thoughtless crowd. We strive for an object well-considered and certain, and therefore no kind of ridicule or assault will drive us from the path. The future belongs to us. Let us even suppose that that form of international language for which we are striving should appear wrong, and that the coming international language will be not that one which we have chosen,-well, but this need by no means disconcert us, for we strive not for the form but for the idea, and we have only given a concrete form to our operations because all abstract and theoretical contention usually leads to nothing. Later on we shall show that even that concrete form of the language is also well-considered and has an undoubted future: but even were you to doubt this, well, the form by no means binds us. If this form shall appear wrong, we will change it to-morrow, and if necessary we will change it again the day after to-morrow ; but we shall fight for our idea till such time as it shall, sooner or later, be fully realized, If we, in obedience to the voice of egotistic indifference, were to hang back from our labour just because the form of the international language may be different from that for which we are now labouring, this would mean the same as, for example, refusing the use of steam because a better means of communication may afterwards be found ; or refusing constitutional improvements because better forms of constitutions may be found later on. Now we are still weak, and every simpleton can still ridicule us and point. the finger at us ; but he laughs best who laughs last. Our cause moves slowly and with difficulty ; it may well be that the majority of us will not live till the moment when the results of our action will appear, and that till death itself we shall be an object of mockery ; but we shall go to the grave with the consciousness that our cause will not die, that it never can die, that sooner or later it must achieve its aim. And even if, weary with thankless labour, we should in despair and apathy let fall our hands,--even so the cause will not die. In place of the tired fighters will appear new fighters ; for we again repeat that if it is beyond doubt that an international language, would confer immense benefit on humanity, and that it is practicable, then, to every man not blinded with routine, there can be no doubt, that sooner or later it will be achieved ; and our constant labour will be to mankind an unceasing reminder, till such a time as the idea of an international language shall be realized. Our descendants will bless our memory, and towards those wiseacres who now call us faddists they will take the same attitude as we now take towards the sage contemporaries of the discovery of America. of the invention of steam carriages, and the rest.
V
But let us return to our interrupted inquiry. We proved that an international language will of a certainty be introduced sooner or later ; but the question remains: when and how will it corne? It may be that it will come only after hundreds, or even thousands, of years. For this purpose, is it absolutely necessary to secure the mutual consent of the government of all countries? To give more or less satisfactory replies to these questions, we must first investigate another question, namely : " can we foresee what kind of language will be international?" Between the former questions and the latter one there exists the following slight connection. If we cannot foresee what kind of language will be made international, and if different languages have more or less equal chances of this, then we must wait until the governments of all (at least the most important) kingdoms shall decide to arrange a congress in this behalf and to settle the question of an international language. He who knows with what great difficulty governments decide on any new departure, will understand that still many many years will go by before the governments will find the question of an international language sufficiently matured and worthy of their interposition ; and, after that, there will probably elapse Yet a further series of years for the labours of various committees and diplomatists, before the matter will be settled. Private persons and societies would in this case be able to do nothing ; they could only keep on urging, the governments, but they could not solve the question themselves without the intervention of the governments. The solution of the question in such a case would therefore still be very very far off. But it would be quite a different matter if it should appear that we can with complete accuracy and full assurance foresee what
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