Esperanto Group formed at Hayes 1936
Ĉu vi parolas Esperanton?- Do you speak Esperanto ?
Mr S. Faulkner gave a talk at Lansbury Hall to the Hayes Mixed Co-Operative Guild on Monday 5th October 1936 on ”The international language problem and its solution”.
The speaker first outlined the enormous advantage to the modern world of an easy international auxiliary language, as compared with the difficulties met with in the use of foreign tongues. Mr Faulkner emphasised the fact that an auxiliary international language must be absolutely natural and belong to none of the existing nations
The audience was interested to learn that, some hundreds of artificial language schemes were on record, and that the known history of these attempts began in the 16th century.
Most of the language schemes however had remained on paper only and few had had any real practical trial.
It was merely necessary therefore Mr Faulkner stated, to show that one scheme had been adequately tested and had come so successfully through the ordeal as to make it worthy of serious consideration for general adoption.
This scheme was Esperanto the international auxiliary language created by Polish born Dr Ludovic Lazarus Zamenhof.
The history of the origin and spread of the language was then outlined by Mr Faulkner who stated that there were active Esperantists in about 100 different countries
It was now estimated that there were about two million Esperantotists in the world.
Mr Faulkner stated that, The ease with which Esperanto could be learnt was emphasised. Among the open secrets of its success were that the language was absolutely regular, there were no exceptions to the grammatical rules, the pronunciation was very simple and all verbs were conjugated alike. In contrast to the common experience in learning ordinary languages with their numerous grammatical and idiomatic pitfalls it was difficult to be misunderstood in Esperanto.
Most important for the average man or women was the fact that fluency in Esperanto could easily be acquired without any knowledge of foreign tongues. It was a common occurrence for a students to acquire a working knowledge of the language in a few months and by that time not only be reading Esperanto books and journals but if so inclined to be corresponding with fellow esperantists in 5, 10 or 20 foreign countries
The speaker stated that he himself corresponded with esperantists in 15 different countries.
Attention was drawn to the new international co-operative magazine published from Warsaw
Mr Faulkner stated he was endeavouring to form a class in Esperanto in Hayes, Middlesex for the winter months and he asked if anyone interested should get in touch with him at 27 Beechwood Avenue
The total initial outlay to potential Esperanto students would be 9d, instruction in the language being entirely free of charge
By January 1937, the local Advertiser & Gazette reported that great strides forward had been made by the local Hayes Esperanto Group, which now had seventeen members. The group meet every Friday evening at 18 Angel Lane, Hayes and the Hayes Esperanto Group was affiliated to the British Esperanto Association (Esperanto A Socio de Britio) and the London Esperanto Federation
Mr S. Faulkner was the secretary, treasurer and tutor of the Hayes Esperanto Group and he also represented the group on the British Esperanto Association (BEA) The Hayes Esperanto Group had nine representatives at the London forum
The group in 1937 had amongst its members one member who was totally blind and who was learning Esperanto from a text book in Braille.
The Hayes Esperanto Group hoped to set up a social club to converse in Esperanto
NOTE:
Their was also a specific Labour movement Esperanto Group formed in Britain, The British Labour Esperanto Association (BLEA) with its own Esperanto journal “Ruga Esperantisto” (Or Red Esperanto and an international grouping called International of Proletarian Esperantists (IPF) established in 1937
