This oak tree truly symbolizes the creation of Zamenhof, for it is nourished by the whole earth, by every nation. This is fitting, for Esperanto comes from the universal spirit and must be nourished by the universal spirit. This is surely the first time in history that such a monument has been erected.

A tree generally requires three essentials, sun, rain and soil. There is one sun which gives warmth and light to every plant. There is one rain gathering and falling down. There have been many soils, American, English, German, French. But now a tree has been planted on one soil, not belonging to one nation but to all humanity. It is now one soil, for the roots of this tree are to be nourished by all. This is a sign that the nationalities of peoples can be over-bridged, that religions and races can be united. There was the precious earth from the Tombs of the Báb, Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Bahá’ís and Persians; there was earth from the tomb of Zamenhof, a Jew, our dear author of Esperanto. Falling with the gifts was earth from San Souci Garden of Frederick the Great, atheist of Potsdam, Germany, the Ruler who arose and declared: “In my country everybody can become blessed in his own way. Everyone is free to believe what he wishes; if he is a good man, I do not care whether he is a Jew, a Catholic or a Protestant.” Anyone who knows a little of history and has a feeling of what will come, realizes that in this century a new race is being formed .

One session of this Congress was devoted to the pronunciation of the language. Only four were present who had attended the first Universal Congress of Esperanto held in Boulogne, summer of 1907. They stated that at that first Congress the fellow-thinkers pronounced the language, just a little differently one from another, because each one had studied it by himself and had never heard anyone else speak it. There had been no contact between the different countries. Now gradually by contact not only the words and expressions but even the pronunciation tend towards unification, so that the universal spirit of the language conquers even the different tongues, the different pronunciations. So when Esperantists entered this International Parliament, it was like coming into a National Parliament as far as language was concerned, one did not notice that different nations were present. It was a most interesting demonstration and shows that later when the universal spirit prevails everywhere, how like one family the world will become.

The two Bahá’í sessions as part of this great Congress were well attended and many Esperantists left their addresses asking that the speeches be sent to them later. Among the guests were Miss Lydia Zamenhof, youngest daughter of the creator of Esperanto, Dr. Ludovik Zamenhof; Mr. Carl Lindhagen, Mayor of Stockholm; Mrs. Anna Tuschinsky, pioneer of Esperanto in Danzig; several members of the International Language Committee and some members of the International Academy. Bahá’í Assemblies from six countries sent telegrams of salutations to this Congress. Dr. August Forel, the great scientist of Switzerland, sent the following telegram: “My dear friends, with all my heart I send you my warmest best wishes for your Nineteenth Universal Congress of Esperanto and for your Bahá’í Esperanto sessions. Long live Esperanto! Long live the super-national religion, Bahá! Long live the social universal good!”

The speech of Dr. Ernest Kliemke, President of the Esperanto Association of Germany, on “The Cultural Principles of the Bahá’í Movement” will be translated from Esperanto into English.

The Twentieth Universal Congress of Esperanto will be held next year in Antwerp, Belgium, and in 1929 in Budapest, Hungary.