Lidia

A Delegation for the Choice of an International Language had been formed in Paris largely through the effbrts of a French Esperantist named Louis Couturat in an attempt to influence the International Association of Academies to endorse Esperanto. Zamenhof was asked to choose someone to represent Esperanto before the Delegation Committee. He chose Louis de Beaufront. In spite of de Beaufront's past behavior, Zamenhof wished to show his trust in him, and he was certain that de Beaufront, who had always opposed reforms, would defend Esperanto from its critics.

But de Beaufront and Couturat deceived Zamenhof; their real intention was to put forward a 'new' language Couturat had secretly 'created' called Ido (which meant 'offspring' in Esperanto). When Ido was presented, it proved to be Esperanto, changed to incorporate the demands of the reformists. Suddenly, de Beaufront abandoned his position as the defender of Esperanto and spoke in favor ofIdo, leading everyone there to believe that the Esperantists approved of Ido. The committee voted to accept Esperanto as changed in accordance with Ido. When the Esperantists learned what had taken place, they were indignant. By the time it came to a final vote, most of the prestigious members of the committee abstained or had withdrawn, leaving only the Ido supporters, who of course voted to accept their own project.

Couturat now began a campaign of attacks against the Esperantists and Zamenhof himself. The mathematician and philosopher Bertrand Russell, an acquaintance of Couturat, wrote in his autobiography that Couturat's talk gave the impression that no people in the entire history of the human race had ever been 'quite so depraved as the Esperantist'.

When Couturat complained that the name of his language Ido did not lend itself to the formation of a term comparable to 'Esperantist', Russell suggested 'idiot' but Couturat 'was not quite pleased'.

The gentle Zamenhof endured the Idists' abuse patiently, though it grieved him deeply. But the behavior of de Beaufront was quite puzzling. He was an unhappy person who longed to be considered important, yet this was not enough to explain his treachery. He was already a popular and influential figure in the Esperanto movement and the president of an Esperantist society. Why did he, who for twenty years had worked for Esperanto, now renounce it and revile its founder? It has been suggested that de Beaufront's dramatic repudiation of Esperanto may have stemmed from his hostility toward Homaranismo. 'It is possible', Marjorie Boulton writes in Zamenhof, Creator of Esperanto, 'that de Beaufront, with his extravagantly intolerant nature came to hate Zamenhof over the question of Homaranismo and to want to hurt him.'

In 1908 at the Fourth Universal Congress in Dresden, Germany, Zamenhof did not spend his precious energy denouncing the traitors. Instead, he reminded the thirteen hundred Esperantists gathered there that only unity could lead them to their goal. Now, he said, let the episode be forgotten. 'Let us remember that our Congresses are a preliminary practice and education for this history of the future brotherhood of mankind. What are important for us are not some trivial extemal details of our language, but its essentials, its idea and its aim . . . perhaps the difference between the Esperanto of today and the evolved Esperanto of many centuries ahead will be great; but thanks to our careful protection the language will live vigorously, in spite of all attempts upon it, its spirit will grow strong, its aim will be achieved and our grandchildren will bless our patience.'

FOUR

Father and Daughter

When Lidia Zamenhof was born in 1904, her parents were already middle-aged: Klara was forty, Ludwik forty-four. Lidia's brother Adam and sister Zofia were grown up: when Lidia was two years old, Adam went to Switzerland to study medicine at the University of Lausanne, and Zofia followed a year later. Although Switzerland was far from home, it was practically their only choice if they wanted to become doctors. Only a small number ofJews were allowed to attend universities in the Russian Empire.

Except for occasional visits home, Adam and Zofia were away during most of Lidia's childhood. In later years the three of them would often be separated from each other, but the bond that linked them was a strong one and it endured in spite of long years apart.