Wilhelm Ostwald

Professeur Wilhelm Ostwald, Nobel prize-winner for chemistry, was the chairman of the Delegation for the Adoption of an International Auxiliary Language, which gathered in Paris in 1907 with the task of deciding which planned language should be introduced into international affairs. The Delegation recommended the revisions to Esperanto that led to the development of Ido. After the Delegation, Ostwald remained an Idist; the following article was written for Progreso, Vol. VIII, nro. 81(1), January 1931, while Ostwald was Professor Emeritus in the University of Leipzig (Germany), and Honorary President of the Ido Academy.

La Mondlinguo - Un Necesajo Da Prof. Dr. Wilhelm OSTWALD Nobel-premio, membro di multa Akademii, emerita profesoro dil Universitato en Leipzig, e c., e c., honor-prezidanto dil Ido-Akademio. En nia tempo la komuniko-moyeni, precipue pro la konquesto dil aero, facis plu granda progreso, kam en irga antea tempo. La homaro, qua konsistis til nun ek granda nombro de diversa populi ne-dependante vivanta, unionesas per to ad integra organismo, di qua la parti interdependas, e qua povas sanesar nur, se la parti suafoye havas maxim favoroza vivo-kondicioni. Se lu antee similesis a koralio-konstrukturo, di qua la junteso su restriktas a komuna staceyo, nun lu proximeskas a la naturo di homa ento, en qua la diversa celuli es parformacita por la maxim bona exekuto di komplexa funcioni, qui kunlaboras por la prospero. Che la superiora vivanti du principi agas, qui nur kune posibligas l'existo: la divido dil funcioni e la junto dil funcioni. L'unesma konsistas ek to, ke omna specala laboro dil ento asumesas da organo specale apta por ta skopo. To es posibla, per ke, favore dil specala laboro, ol renuncas pri altra labori, mem pri le necesa por la vivo, por sakrifikar su tote a sua tasko. Per to l'existo dil organo divenas dependanta del organo, pro ke lu ne povas altramaniere prokurar la vivo-necesa laboro asumita dal organo. Por ke tala komplikita relato di funcion-divido povas existar, samtempe junto dil funcioni mustas existar, qua sekurigas la harmonioza koopero di singla organo. Ja en la laxa celul-uniono dil planto, protoplasma fili existas, per qui l'eventi di una celulo efikas a la vicina celuli. Superiora vivanti developas la nervo-sistemo, qua juntas la diversa organi e koherigas li a komun agado. Por to balde central organo formacesas, simile a telefon-centralo, en qua multa junti facesas, qui es necesa por la kunlaboro dil organismo. La sociala nervo-sistemo, qua posibligas e sekurigas la kunlaboro di populo, es la linguo. Ol es la moyeno, per qua singla populano povas komunikar kun singla altra, e nur per ol la komuna laboro es posibla. Til cirkume la fino dil antea yarcento la neceseso di komuniki interne di una populo tante preponderis super ti inter la diversa populi, ke la nacionala lingui suficis. Cadie to absolute neplus valoras. La depreso ekonomial, qua sizis prezente omna landi samtempe, pruvas ke l'uniono dil tota homaro sur l'ekonomial domeno es ja pragmato. La ligo dil nacioni e l'esforci por krear pan-Europal organizuro, montras, ke anke la politiko komencas sentar sama pragmato. Or, se on observas la detali di ta esforci, on remarkas, quante li es frenagata dal diverseso dil Europana lingui. L'Unionita Stati di Nord-Amerika debas lia rapida e granda prospero a plura favoroza cirkonstanci, qui hike ne enumeresez. Ma lo maxim favoroza inter omni esis l'uneso dil linguo, per qua l'Amerikano havas ne nur un lando, ma un tota kontinento kom patrio. Kontraste, Europa sufras pro konfuziganta multeso di lingui, qui extreme desfaciligas l'uniono. Apude la stranja fakto remarkigas su, ke la mikra populi, qui nultempe povas kalkular pri tradukar a sua linguo l'enorma quanto dil savo depozita en imprimuri, qui, pro to, es koaktita lernar una o kelka lingui stanjera, se li volas ulmaniere partoprenar la kulturo dil homaro, ta mikra populi kombatas maxim pasionoze por la konservo di sua lingui, qua es ya nur obstaklo di lia intelektal ed ekonomial progreso. Omna ta desfacilaji povas eliminesar per l'introdukto di neutra linguo, adaptita al pensado dil prezento, do artificale parlaborita. Pan-Europa es ne-realigebla sen tala auxiliara linguo, pro nura teknikal motivi; ma sen Pan-Europa ni es kondamnita ad ekonomial e kultural regreso. Pro to nia epoko devas solvar la grandioza tasko: krear la nervo-sistemo por l'integra organismo dil homaro, qua komencas formacesar.

The World-Language - A Necessity By Prof. Dr. Wilhelm OSTWALD Nobel prize winner, member of many Academic Societies, professor emeritus at the University of Leipzig, etc., etc., honorary president of the Ido Academy. In our age the means of communication, primarily due to the conquest of the skies, have made much greater progress than at any time in the past. Humanity, which until now consisted of a great number of diverse communities living independantly, is united because of it into one whole organism, whose parts are interdependent, and which can be healthy only if they have the most favorable living conditions. If in the past it was like a coral structure, whose connection is restricted to a common station, now it has become closer to the nature of human beings, in whom diverse cells have formed to best perform complex functions, and collaborate in order to thrive. In superior lifeforms, two principles operate, which only together make existance possible: a division of functions and the joining of functions. The first of these is that all special work of the being is assumed by an organ especially suitable for the purpose. That is possible when favored of special work, it renounces other tasks, even those necessary for life, to sacrifice itself totally to its task. By this means the existance of an organism becomes dependent on the organ, because it cannot procure the work assumed by the organ necessary for life in any other way. For such a complex relationship of division of labor to exist, simultaneously, a combining of functions must also exist which ensures the harmonious cooperation of every organ. In loosely organized plant cells there already exist protoplasmic threads by which the events occuring at one of the cells make its neighboring cells more effective. Advanced lifeforms have developed nervous systems, which connect the various organs and cause them to hold together towards common action. Due to this soon a central organ is formed similar to a telephone switchboard in which many connections are made, which are necessary for the collaboration of the organism. The nervous system of human society, which makes possible the cooperation of people, is language. It is the way in which every member of a group can communicate with another and only through this is cooperation possible. Until the end of the last century the need to communicate within a certain population so outweighed that among different peoples, that national languages were sufficient. Today this is absolutely no longer true. The economic depression which has presently seized all lands at the same time, proves that the union of the whole of humanity in the economic domain is already a reality. The league of Nations and the endeavors for the creation of an all-European organization, shows that politics has begun to sense this. Now, if one observes the details of these endeavors, it is noticed, how frenzied they are by the diversity of European languages. The United States of America owes its rapid and large prosperity to many favorable circumstances, which will not be enumerated here. The most favorable among all is the unity of language, by which the American has not just one nation, but one complete continent as fatherland. In constrast Europe suffers from confusion causing multitude of languages, which makes union extremely difficult. Nearby a strange fact is noticed, that minority groups, which can never hope to have the enormous amount of knowledge deposited in print in their own language, are due to it, forced to learn one or few foreign languages, if they wish to participate in any way in the human culture, passionately fight to conserve their languages, which are indeed only obstacles to their intellectual and economic progress. All these difficulties can be eliminated by the introduction of a neutral language, adapted to the thinking of the present, thus, artificially constructed. A united Europe is not realizable without such an auxiliary language, due to only technical reasons; but without a united Europe we are condemned to economic and cultural regression. Because of this our age should solve the greatest of tasks; to create a nervous system for the entire organism of humanity, which has begun to form.