the
wearisome ploughing through the Greek and Latin grammars. I observed
that the rich wealth of grammatical forms was not a necessity, but
merely the blind result of accidental history. Under that influence I
recommenced my research into language, and discarded the unnecessary
forms, and I noticed that the grammar ever and ever melted under my
hands, and soon I arrived at a tiny grammar, which, without causing
any disadvantage to the language, occupied only a few pages. Then I
began to devote myself to my dream more seriously. Still, the giant
dictionaries left me no peace of mind.

"One day, when I was in the 6th or 7th class at the gymnasium, my
attention was, by chance, turned to the sign 'SXvejtskaja'
(drink-shop), and close by to the sign 'Konditorskaja' (sweet-shop).
Although I had seen it many times before, this 'skaja' aroused my
interest, and showed me that by means of suffixes I might make one
word into others, which need not be separately learned. This thought
took complete possession of me, and all at once I felt the ground
beneath my feet. A ray of light had fallen upon the terrific giant
dictionaries, and they began to shrink rapidly before my eyes.

"'The problem is solved,' I cried. I seized this idea of suffixes,
and began to work hard upon it. I understood how important it was to
make full use of this power--which, in natural languages, plays only
a partial, blind, irregular and incomplete _role_--when consciously
creating a new language. I began to compare words, to examine their
constant and defined relationships, and every day I cast out from the
dictionary a fresh vast series of words, substituting for this mass a
single suffix, which signified a certain fixed relationship. I next
remarked that a great number of words, hitherto regarded purely as
'roots' (such as 'mother,' 'narrow,' 'knife'), might easily be
treated as 'formed words,' and disappear from the dictionary. The
mechanism of language stood before me as though it were upon the palm
of my hand, and, inspired by love and hope, I began to work
systematically. After that I soon had the entire grammar and a small
dictionary in manuscript."

FOOTNOTE:

[2] School preparatory for the University.

NIAJ LIBERTEMPOJ.

Sinjoro H. Voituret (delegito de la Touring Club de France) skribis
al mi "La tute admirinda lando, logxita sur la limoj de Francujo kaj
Svisujo, nomata Jura, estas ne suficxe konata de alilandaj turistoj."
Mi dezi