Postcards were sent back and forth between people on a daily basis. People would use a postcard to announce their arrival at a friend's home later on that same day. Mail delivery was three times a day and people could rely on their messages being received in a timely fashion.
Caroline was a dedicated supporter of Esperanto. Esperanto was developed during the period of 1877-1885 by L.L. Zamenhof of Warsaw, Poland. Esperanto, which means a "person who is hoping", was developed with the intention of becoming a common language which Zamenhof believed would resolve many of the problems that lead to strife and conflict. He felt that the major languages at the time could not be used as they would give their native speakers an advantage and the "dead" languages, Latin and Greek, were too complicated to learn. Esperanto had the advantage in that it was a neutral language lending itself to be able to be the property of everybody, and that it was easy to learn.
Caroline had an active correspondence with other people learning Esperanto as a means of practicing the language. People supporting Esperanto believe that language inequality gives to communicative inequality. The use of Esperanto as the official international language would allow for democratic communication and a world without borders, where every country is home.
A Person who is Hoping
The use of Esperanto will bring
hope, truth, unity.
Let rest the other words, the sticks and stones,
simply rest.
With that will come immeasurable peace.
Children are leaving, the chickens are coming home to roost.
The language is a splinter in the heart, hurting who?
Not me, I hold each moment close to heart, deep in love.
I know,
precious time is marching, each breath could be the last.
We have thrown open windows, door, gates.
We have nothing now, but happiness.
and that we will share.
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1 comment:
What a delightful account of someone who was not famous but had an interesting life.
I'm British and I'm keen to tell you that Esperanto continues to be used! I've used it in speech and writing in about fifteen countries over recent years.
Indeed, the language has some remarkable practical benefits. Personally, I've made friends around the world through Esperanto that I would never have been able to communicate with otherwise. And then there's the Pasporta Servo, which provides free lodging and local information to Esperanto-speaking travellers in over 90 countries. Over recent years I have had guided tours of Berlin, Douala (look it up!) and Milan in this planned language. I have discussed philosophy with a Slovene poet in Klagenfurt, humour on television with a Bulgarian TV producer in Sofia. I've discussed what life was like in East Berlin before the wall came down, how to cook perfect spaghetti, the advantages and disadvantages of monarchy, and so on. I recommend it as a very practical way to overcome language barriers.
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