The world is now older by a year, and we are all the wiser in consequence. The progress made by Esperanto is even more remarkable than during the year 1903. To all fellow-workers do we desire to send most hearty congratulations on this success, and we also add our most sincere good wishes for the New Year. May it be still more progressive! May it be even happier for Esperantists!
Last month we had the pleasure of arranging the index of our first volume, and the fact reminded us of many charming hours spent with Esperantists in person and by letter. Especially do we desire to send good wishes to our devoted contributors. May they become more and more international!
When a sceptic looks through this index he can no longer doubt the internationality of the language.
Thanks to the year’s progress in England, one no longer need believe that "Esperanto is a cure for bodily ailments," or "a new food for the human frame," but almost all are aware that Esperanto feeds only the mind, and cures but the discords of humanity.
It is wonderful to find out how much advertising is necessary before the inhabitants of even a small town can all be made cognisant of the matter, and of course a great deal of work still remains to be done. Let us not weary; let us not rest on our laurels watching the garden which contains so many sown seeds! No, let us ever be busy; we must indeed water the seeds with the pure water of internationality, and we must take care that they be not dried up for lack of interest, care, or assistance on our part.
A prophet would say that this new year must be very important for the Esperanto movement. Shall we not have at least one great International Congress, which will probably take place in August among our kind friends in Boulogne? And will not this impatiently-awaited gathering be honoured by the presence of our esteemed chief, Dr. Zamenhof himself!
This single fact is enough to make the present year famous, but it is indeed unnecessary to wait for the lovely summer time to find signs of progress. Chill winter will bring forth divers new gazettes, which, no doubt, warm spring and hot summer will cause to flourish, till they can obtain some influence among the already numerous international journals.
This fact, the increase in the number of gazettes, is one reason for the non-enlargement of The Esperantist. Our readers may remember that we proposed to enlarge it if possible during 1905. We much feared that the progress of the cause would demand this increase, although we find that sixteen pages are indeed enough for our free time.
And, as it will not now be necessary to enlarge a gazette which will no longer be the only British organ, we are taking pains to enlarge it without enlarging it! This may seem paradoxical to our readers; it is nevertheless true that we have succeeded. Instead of the club news, which formerly was found only in English, we intend to print a series of articles under the title of "Month by Month." These will contain, in the two languages, the memorable events of the preceding month. Thus Esperantists in other lands—who are constantly becoming more numerous among our subscribers—will not lose three or four pages, and inland Esperantists will gain more practice by means of the appreciated literal translations. Here is the Q.E.F. and the Q.E.D. of our problem.
Two different courses now open up before us. We can begin this series with a résumé of the accomplished progress of last year, or we can limit our remarks to the last month. Employing the title given above, the latter of these courses seems preferable, and we now treat of the memorable events of the close of 1904.