tee of the Delegation.[247]

The Delegation is seeking to bring about an official international
Congress which would either itself or through properly appointed experts
establish an internationally and officially recognized auxiliary
language. The chief step made in this direction has been the formation
at Berne in 1911 of an international association whose object is to take
immediate steps towards bringing the question before the Governments of
Europe. The Association is pledged to observe a strict neutrality in
regard to the language to be chosen.

The whole question seems thus to have been placed on a sounder basis
than hitherto. The international language of the future cannot be, and
ought not to be, settled by a single individual seeking to impose his
own invention on the world. This is not a matter for zealous propaganda
of an almost religious character. The hasty and premature adoption of
some privately invented language merely retards progress. No individual
can settle the question by himself. What we need is calm study and
deliberation between the nations and the classes chiefly concerned,
acting through the accredited representatives of their Governments and
other professional bodies. Nothing effective can be done until the
pressure of popular opinion has awakened Governments and scientific
societies to the need for action. The question of international
arbitration has become practical; the question of the international
language ought to go hand in hand with that of international
arbitration. They are closely allied and both equally necessary.

While the educational, commercial, and official advantages of an
auxiliary international language are obvious, it seems to me that from
the standpoint of social hygiene there are at least three interests
which are especially and deeply concerned in the settlement of this
question.

The first and chief is that of international democracy in its efforts to
attain an understanding on labour questions. There can be no solution of
this question until a simpler mode of personal communication has become
widely prevalent. This matter has from time to time already been brought
before international labour congresses, and those who attend such
congresses have doubtless had occasion to realize how essential it is.
Perhaps it is a chief factor in the comparative failure of such
congresses hitherto.

Science represents the second great interest which has shown an active
concern