Lidia

Nevertheless, the Esperantists did not conceal their reverence - almost worship - for the creator of their 'beloved language'. As Maijorie Boulton writes, 'the sun itself encouraged the hero- worshippers, for during the official banquet a spectator from the gallery saw how a sunbeam through a high circular window was making a halo round ZamenhoPs head'.

During the week there were many meetings, as well as a garden party, theater evenings and a costume ball where one could buy gingerbread hearts with iloveyou spelledoutontheminEsperanto.

The Esperantists' cherished symbol, the green star, seemed to show up everywhere, to the amusement of the cynical reporter from the Berner Tagblatt. 'Of course the star had to be on the cake,' he remarked. 'Even shoestrings don't seem to be an improper place [for the star], and we cannot rule out the possibility that somewhere the green star decorates soft flesh in the form of a tattoo.'

Some time during the week a British correspondent for a progressive religious magazine, the Christian Commonu/ealth, inter- viewed Dr Zamenhof. Zamenhof told the interviewer that he felt there was an increasing understanding of the inner meaning of the movement. 'Its aim is to promote the real brotherhood of man,' he explained, 'and that internal idea is now very much better understood. We may not live to see its realisation, but I feel certain that our children or grandchildren will reap its benefits.'

Then the interviewer asked: 'Do you consider that the command which 'Abdu'1-Baha recently gave his followers to learn Esperanto will have much effect in spreading the language in the East?'

'Abdu'1-Baha, son of Baha'u'llah, the founder of the Baha'f Faith, had often encouraged the Baha'i's to learn Esperanto. The week of the congress, the Christian Commonu/ealth had published one of a series of articles about 'Abdu'1-Baha's experiences in the prison city of'Akka. His father, Baha'u'llah, had been exiled from His native Persia and finally incarcerated with His family and companions in 'Akka, where Baha'u'llah died in 1892. After revolution toppled the Ottoman sultan 'Abdu'1-Baha was set free. In 1911 he began a journey through Europe and North America speaking about the religion established by his father. 'Abdu'1-Baha and Ludwik Zamenhofnever met, although they came close to crossing paths: in 1913 'Abdu'1-Baha was in Europe en route to Haifa, but by June he had already left for the Middle East. In any case, Ludwik Zamenhof was evidently acquainted with some of the teachings of the Baha'i Faith, which included the principle of a universal auxiliary language.

As early as 1863, when Ludwik Zamenhof was still a child, Baha'u'llah, then in Constantinople, had expressed the principle of a universal language and mentioned the possibility of using a created language for that purpose. In His last book, written in 1891, Baha'u'llah described the Constantinople incident. Addressed to Shavkh Muhammad Taqf, son of a notorious Shiite clergyman of Isfahan, the volume is known in English as Epistle to the Son ofthe Wolf. In it Baha'u'llah recounts:

'One day, while in Constantinople, Kamal Pasha visited this Wronged One. Our conversation turned upon topics profitable unto man. He said that he had leamed several languages. In reply We observed: "You have wasted your life. It beseemeth you and the other oflficials of the Government to convene a gathering and choose one of the divers languages, and likewise one of the existing scripts, or else to create a new language and a new script to be taught children in schools throughout the world. They would, in this way, be acquiring only two languages, one their own native tongue, the other the language in which all the peoples of the world would converse ..." When in Our presence, he acquiesced, and even evinced great joy and complete satisfaction. We then told him to lay this matter before the officials and ministers of the Government, in order that it might be put into effect throughout the different countries. However, although he often returned to see Us after this, he never again referred to this subject. . .

'. . . At present', Baha'u'llah continued, addressing Shaykh Muhammad Taqf, 'a new language and a new script have been devised. If thou desirest, We will communicate them to thee . . .'

In the interval between Baha'u'llah's conversation with Kamal Pashain 1863 and his Epistle to Shaykh Muhammad Tagf in 1891, two intemational languages had been created and were in use: Volapŭk, which was already in decline and which later died out; and Esperanto. But neither the shaykh nor anyone else ever asked Baha'u'llah the name of the language to which He was referring.